Twenty Years
by Kat24mlr
Summary: When someone from her past comes back, Bones is forced to protect her friends and Booth from not only the danger of this stranger, but also from the dark spots in her past that would be sure to send them running. B
1. “A reminder from the past

**Chapter 1 – Before the Worst**

**This is my remade version of chapter one. It's not really an update but I'm hoping it'll hold you over for a few hours while I decide which version of the next chapter I'm going to use. **

**For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, I deleted the first four chapters of the story and then forgot to replace one of them with this. And now I've realized how to fix it... TWO CHAPTERS STUCK IN ONE!!**

**I'm going to stop talking now and write. Sound good? **

...

Once again the Jeffersonian team had a case.

To most of the squints, and Booth, it was just another case.

A girl was badly beaten, raped, shot in the back of the head, and dumped coincidently behind the diner. She was only a teenager, about seventeen, her life was just starting.

"Apparently" Booth said upon getting the call on their way to that very same Royal Diner, "Whoever put her here didn't know that D.C.'s finest murder solving team came here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They must really have some bad luck!"

Brennan probably would've agreed if she hadn't found a small piece of evidence that she tucked quickly into her pocket, after recognizing it. In that moment the case _was_ different. The body being there was not at all a coincidence.

Bones was quiet all the way to the lab and was even reluctant to discuss the case.

Zach had picked up that something was wrong with Dr. Brennan and he took it upon himself to explain to Angela and Booth what they needed to know to continue working.

Hodgins was able to determine that the victim was killed someplace else, and that she was move to the diner sometime this morning.

They had found evidence of rape, just as Brennan had thought, and were able to find some traces of DNA.

Cam had found that the victim was most likely drunk at the time she was raped but found no evidence of any date rape drugs.

Angela had done a facial reconstruction and had come up with a name, Lindsay Richards. She was an aspiring model who had been living in New Jersey while working for a modeling agency in New York.

In fact Angela had to re check the paper work four times before concluding that Richards was from Brennan's home town. Well not home exactly, but it was where she had lived with her last foster care family before becoming of age and meeting Angela in college their freshmen year.

Angela still remembered how unnerved Brennan would get every time her last foster family was brought up in any way. Even now, she watched as her best friend struggled after finding out where the victim lived.

Brennan had after a few hours, retreated to the safety of her office to escape the worrying glances from Angela. She could feel the tears in her eyes threatening to fall, but was determined not to let them, not here anyways.

A knock at the door broke her from her thoughts, and standing there was Booth looking ever so charming and yet worried all that same time.

"Hey how are you holding up?"

"I'm fine Booth if that's what you're asking"

She watched as Booth sat down on her couch and motioned for her to do the same.

"Well you don't look fine, so come here will ya and sit with me for a while"

Brennan eyed him suspiciously

"Don't you think that'll break our agreement with Cullen and Cam to remain professional at work?"

"What? No, we're still partners Bones; I can offer comfort to my partner can't I? Besides it's your lunch break so technically you're not working"

Booth could still read her hesitation and tried another way.

"Look Bones I promise I won't make you tell me anything you're not ready to tell me. I just want you to sit with me for a moment"

She finally agreed and moved to sit next to him. Booth wrapped an arm around her and was met with an ice blue glare followed by a warning _"Booth..."_

"We're on lunch break Temperance, you know the part of the day where you're supposed to take an hour and go out to eat with your hot FBI boyfriend while he tries to get you to go out to dinner with him tonight and let _him_ pay for it for once."

He watched amusedly as she scrunched up her nose with distaste. "You know I won't let you pay and if that's a lunch break then why are we sitting here?"

"Just relax a minute Bones and I'll take you out someplace"

Bones leant back against him, sighing contently.

Angela watched happily through the glass.

They had been going out for only a few weeks and were the talk of both the Jeffersonian and the FBI. Everyone knew it was bound to happen and was ultimately not really surprised after the company Ball where they made their first appearance as a couple and danced together all night, lost in each other.

However as soon as things had settled down, Angela noticed Brennan start to push Booth away, and feared that it would take a bit more work to put them together for good.

If only to complete the fairy tale Angela had created in her mind.

"**The Reminder of a Past better left forgotten"**

Recap:

Booth and Brennan are on their way to a crime scene where they've just been reinstated as partners so long as they remain professional and they attend their regularly appointments with Dr. Sweets.

Booth knocked once more on the door of apartment 302 in Warrington, New Jersey. His partner stood anxiously behind him waiting to get inside. They had come to talk to their victim's (Michelle Alexander) roommate, Lindsay Richards, to try and find some answers. All they knew about their Victim up to this point was that she worked as a Model and was on vacation from her modeling agency in New York. Her roommate was also a model and the two had rented an apartment outside of New York for when they wanted to get away from the city. Or at least that's what the agency had told them.

As Booth turned to tell Brennan that they should get going and come back tomorrow, they heard someone coming up the stairs. A young girl rounded the corner and walked up carefully, trying not to drop the laundry basket she was carrying that was blocking her view. Booth and Brennan waited for her to get to the top of the stairs for her to realize that they were there.

"Oh I'm sorry I didn't know the agency was sending someone over"

Brennan looked at her confused and then at Booth. "Are you Lindsay Richards?"

"Yes... why?" Lindsay stared at Brennan with a strange expression on her face as if she knew her from somewhere.

Booth flashed his badge "FBI we'd like to talk to you about your roommate, Michelle Alexander"

Lindsay led them into the apartment, setting down the laundry on one of the chairs.

"Shelly's been on assignment in California I haven't seen her since she left"

"When did she leave?" asked Booth

"About five or six weeks ago"

"That's funny because the modeling agency you both work for said that she took vacation." Booth questioned.

"Well she didn't come here" replied Lindsay harshly. Her gaze went once again to Brennan who was trying to look away, which didn't go unnoticed by Booth.

Booth looked at her confused "No one noticed her missing for five whole weeks?"

"Shelly had a habit of disappearing for weeks at a time. The model agency would cut her some slack because of all the publicity she's been getting lately."

"Do you know where she disappeared to?"

"I'd say her boyfriends, she was always over there"

After getting the boyfriends address and asking a few more questions it was evident that Lindsay wasn't going to give up any more information and Booth led Brennan out into the hallway.

Brennan was quiet all the way to the car, with a far away expression on her face. It wasn't until they were inside did Booth break the silence.

"Bones are you okay?"

Brennan put her head in her hands and shook her head "no".

They drove back to the Jeffersonian without another word, and before Booth had a chance to stop her, Brennan rushed into her office shutting the door behind her.

Booth followed her calling her name but stopped in front of her door when he saw her at her desk chair looking the opposite way.

Hodgins came and looked over Booth's shoulder at his boss.

"Trouble in paradise?"

Angela walked by to give Booth a folder. When he didn't take it she also looked into the office.

"Booth what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. We went to question Lindsay Richards at her apartment and she didn't talk the whole time, and all the way back here."

Angela gave him the folder and patted him on the chest before entering Brennan's office.

"Not now Booth" came Brennan's tear filled voice.

"It's not Booth, but he's worried about you."

Brennan turned around wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand which shook.

"Did something happen between you two?"

Brennan looked away from her friend.

"Angela, please I don't want to discuss this right now"

"Did you give him that note yet?"

"What note?" Brennan asked irritably

"You know the one you wrote when you and Hodgins..."

Brennan cut her off "I wrote it as I thought I was dying"

Angela sat down on the side of the desk. "Sweetie, if you're not open with him, and tell him how you really feel..."

"I've told him how I really feel"

"Really? You've told him everything?"

"I told him I loved him"

"You didn't tell him how much of an effect he's had on you? How you loved him even before he loved you too? How he was the only one you thought about as you were trapped underground?"

"That's not true I thought about all of you"

"Give him the note Brennan. Maybe that will resolve the fight you're in"

"We're not in a fight!"

Without another word Brennan got up, grabbed her coat, and stormed out of her office. Booth tried to stop her on her way through the doors of the Jeffersonian that she had just came through only minutes before but it was no use.

"I need some time... by myself" She said passing him.

Booth looked towards Angela who only shook her head.

Brennan found her car quickly and sped off, not wanting Booth or Angela to follow her.

After driving around for a while trying to think of someplace to go, she finally decided on the cemetery.

The sun was just setting, which left the cemetery completely open except for Brennan. She walked through rows and rows of graves, some new and some old.

As she walked through, she let her mind wander. She thought about how if she hadn't escaped Hastings, what he would have told Booth. How if her partner had known that part of her life, he would have regarded her differently, they all would.

Temperance Brennan had a past, no one was denying that; but there were some parts of it that she could've stopped. There were some instances she had control over and could've prevented.

This case was a reminder of everything she had tried to put past her. She could tell that Lindsay Richards remembered her; maybe not by her name but by her face. Sooner or later Lindsay would remember and then it would be too late to stop the chain of events that would be sure to follow.

Brennan stopped at one grave. She knelt down and placed a hand on top, letting a few tears fall into the soil.

The deeper this investigation got, the more people they met, the more people would start to remember her. And the more trouble her friends would be in.

Brennan was sure that she knew exactly why Shelly was killed. She was also sure she knew who did it, or ordered it at least.

Brennan couldn't tell any of this to Booth. Once they started their investigation, Temperance would have to stay far away from him. If they saw she was close to him, he would become a target. The same would go for her whole team.

Even if it meant breaking up with Booth, she would do it. If only to keep him safe.

Brennan got into her car and turned on her phone. There were eleven missed calls, eight from Booth. Ignoring them all, she called FBI director Cullen's office. She wiped the tears that were now streaming down her face as she waited for him to pick up.

"Director Cullen of the FBI speaking"

"Hi yes, this is Dr. Temperance Brennan" She said clearing her throat.

"Dr. Brennan, what do you want now" Cullen said slightly irritated. He was still angry about being blackmailed so that she and Agent Booth could sleep together.

"I want to be off this case immediately"

**This isn't much of an update I know. HOWEVER I'm working on one now and you'll see in a few hours if you stick around. **


	2. “The Rational thinking Irrationally

**I have absolutely no problem with bad reviews, they make me go back and realize I should've done a better job checking my work; HOWEVER, if a certain anonymous reviewer sends me another message complaining on my sentence structure and bad spelling I will freak. **

**Normally I would not mind, but said person spelled punctuation wrong, sentence wrong, horrific wrong, and grammar wrong. This was all while telling me to watch my spelling. **

**Point of the story is... don't act as nasty as that person and be hypocritical of my writing, when that person sucks just as well. For most this doesn't apply, and you may continue to complain about my writing because it does keep me on my toes. **

**That's all, sorry it took so long.**

"_I want to be off this case immediately"_

"**The Rational thinking Irrationally"**

Her throat constricted painfully as tears welled in her eyes. This was for the better though, she thought; the farther away he was the better.

"Uh huh, this is exactly why partners don't have romantic relationships. One fight and next thing I know I'm getting calls to break that partnership up. Then two days later they want to be partners again because they've reconciled their differences. It's not happening. You've fought so hard for Booth to be your partner, you can keep him."

"This has nothing to do with our personal relationship."

"Then tell me what it is then? Please I'd love to know" he said sarcastically.

"Due to the recent stress, I feel that I need a break from working with the FBI."

"So it's not just Booth, It's the whole FBI?"

"Yes"

"Dr. Brennan you have an obligation on behalf of the Jeffersonian to work with the FBI. You are also the one that fought to be in the field with Booth. Now you want to do paperwork in the lab?"

"On a temporary basis"

"Fine how much time do you need? You'll get your vacation **after** this case is through."

"I'll need at least until this case is over"

Cullen dropped his pen that he was twirling in his hands. "We need you on this case Dr. Brennan. You can't just pick and choose your murder victims."

"I have done more than enough to be able to take off this one case, and I have full trust in my team and in Agent Booth to be able to find the murderer and gather the information needed for a conviction."

"Why are you dropping this case now?" Cullen was truly shocked at her words. This was far unlike the Dr. Brennan he knew.

Brennan sighed trying to find a good enough excuse to get out of it. "Mentally I do not feel that I can work on this case without endangering my fellow co-workers."

"Alright fine, if you can get Sweets to sign off on this than you are free to sit around and do paperwork. I'm not happy with it but I've learned there's no use in arguing with you."

"Thank you"

"Take your vacation Dr. Brennan and use it to do some soul searching because I need you and Booth back working one hundred percent."

With that he hung up and Brennan's head dropped. She was abandoning a case, her friends, her partner, and their victim.

She was the only one who could solve this and she was neglecting to help.

Never in her life had she felt worse, so why did she think this was the right thing?

Rationally it would make more sense to solve the case and find the bastard responsible, no matter what the cost.

She wasn't thinking rationally though.

The thought of losing Booth scared her more than anything. If she lost him, her world would come crashing down.

Rain softly started to pour on the roof of her car, breaking the silence, and she was reminded that she was still at the cemetery.

Booth would be waiting at her house to confront her and to get her to open up.

It would be better if she pushed him away now.

Brennan started the car and headed back towards her house. When she saw his truck outside, just like she thought, she started to panic. She had never been good at lying to Booth; he could see right through her no matter what.

If she told him the truth, he would refuse to leave her side and who knows what he would do if they ever caught this killer.

If she lied and he didn't buy it then she'd have to tell him the truth.

How was she supposed to lie to a man whose job also included reading people's expressions and catch them lying, when that man is also the only when she's ever really loved?

**Review PLEASE I know people are reading, the story stats and traffic don't lie!! And FYI I already have two more chapters written right now. (Hint hint)**


	3. “The Missing Anthropologist”

**"The Missing Anthropologist"**

It hadn't taken long for Brennan to come up with a new idea.

She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing heavily as she thought everything through.

Once she had it she turned on the car once more and drove to the FBI building.

It felt strange walking past Booth's office without stopping in, but she was doing what had to be done.

Careful that no one would recognize her; Brennan reached the end of the hall to where the door that read "Agent Collins".

The small desk lamp just inside cast a soft, almost haunting glow over the hallway and Brennan just happened to catch her reflection in the glass of the window.

What she saddened her. Her eyes were a dull gray color. She could see the coldness in her eyes, the emptiness they held. It was as if she were staring into the eyes of a corpse with all the life taken out of them.

Brennan remembered a conversation Angela and herself once had before Booth had started to work with them full time. He would bring a case to them once in a while; humor them with what he called "the real world".

On one particular case that they had finished early, Booth had asked her out to coffee. They talked lightly about current events and a little about their jobs. Booth drove her home after the long day and walked her up to her apartment, a gesture Brennan told him was unnecessary but Booth being the gentleman he was wouldn't budge.

As they said their goodbyes Booth leaned towards her ever so slowly. Brennan couldn't decide whether to pull him closer to end the suspense or back away from his advances. Before she could decide, Booth was almost meeting her lips with his, when he turned his head to whisper in her ear that he would see her when she got back from her trip.

Brennan watched as Booth left down the stairs. She almost stopped him, almost invited him where who knows what would happen. Her heart beat loudly in her chest, as she thought of what had almost just happened.

There was a twinge of regret, a feeling that she had surely missed out on something, but her mind couldn't decide what it was.

The next day Angela didn't hesitate to corner Brennan in her office.

"_You and Booth had to have done something last night. I can tell by your eyes, it actually looks like there's some life in them finally"_

"_What do you mean?" _

"_There's a spark, a glimpse of happiness or something. Usually, their kind of grayish and sad, it's like looking at a corpse. Whatever it is, it's there and I'm betting Booth was the cause of that."_

"_That's ridiculous, we went out for coffee and he brought me home"_

"_Uh huh, admit it you hoped it would've been something more"_

"_Well it doesn't matter now; I leave in three days for my trip"_

Brennan always wondered what would have happened if she had asked him into her apartment that night.

She took one more glance at her reflection and opened the door, ready to break her own heart in the process.

_Meanwhile... _

Booth was nervously waiting for his partner to show up. He had been waiting at her house for hours now, and was really starting to get worried after no one had heard from her.

It wasn't like her to leave work like that and it was even less unlikely for her not to talk to him or even Angela.

This morning things were fine between them, hell more than fine. Whatever happened to have her hiding from her friends was a mystery to Booth.

Suddenly his phone rang on the couch and he dove to get to it. Looking at the caller ID he sighed, "Not her".

"Agent Booth"

"Booth its Cullen"

"Yes sir" Booth was worried that Sweets had called Cullen and described how their meeting went earlier. Booth figured he was calling to tell them that their partnership was terminated and that was the last thing he needed right now, considering he couldn't even find said partner.

"Booth I was wondering if you've had a chance to speak with Dr. Brennan recently"

"Not exactly, I haven't seen her since early this afternoon"

"Did she seem all right?"

"Not entirely, why?"

Cullen paused and Booth got extremely nervous for some reason.

"Well I talked to her about ten minutes ago and she didn't sound herself at all."

Booth felt the lump in the back of his throat rise, "How so"

"She asked for a temporary leave until this case was over"

"What? Why would she do that?"

"She said she needed a break from you and from the FBI"

"And that was it? You let her drop the case?" Booth said disbelievingly.

"No, she told me that mentally she could not function on this case and that she felt she would be endangering her co-workers. What was I supposed to do?"

Booth ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know sir"

"She didn't mention anything to you?" Cullen asked. He felt bad for Seeley; he knew how much he cared for his partner even though it was against an unwritten FBI policy.

"No" His voice sounded far away.

"Look Booth I'm sure she's just going through a tough time. She's been batted around pretty rough these last few cases, maybe she's finally had enough. I'm just surprised she hasn't cracked months ago."

"Yeah"

"Don't worry about it; I'm sure she'll come around."

Booth hung up the phone and closed his eyes. "Come on Bones, where are you?"

_**It didn't take long for him to find out.**_

**REVIEW!!! Okay I know it's late but I feel asleep. It is before 12 though so technically my promises are all fulfilled. **


	4. “A Pair of Heels”

**In case it wasn't obvious I don't speak squint, so I'm just ganna skip around all that and not even attempt it, which is why most of the actual lab parts are cut out.**

"**A Pair of Heels"**

Agent Collins was half way through a stack of reports he was supposed to file months ago but never got to. He was pissed he was stuck here instead of working on the case he was supposed to be assigned to.

A noise at the door broke him from his thoughts as he glanced up, wondering who would be coming to see him at this hour.

He was even more shocked to see the beautiful Dr. Brennan stroll in. The glow from the only light in the room illuminated her soft auburn hair. Her porcelain skin looked almost angelic. His eyes roamed her body for a split second, taking in all of her curves. Her brilliant blue eyes were cold though, giving no hint of her actual feelings. It was almost depressing to stare at them for too long, like he would freeze over if his eyes were to get lost in hers.

Dr. Brennan was the talk of the FBI. Each man wanted a try with her, some bragged they already had, but they figured Booth and the doctor had to be doing it. Everyone knew how protective Booth was over her.

"Um hi" he stuttered surprised to see her here.

Brennan walked towards him and sat on the edge of his desk.

"I wanted to apologize for the other day"

Agent Collins stood up, almost knocking over his coffee as he stared. He couldn't help it. She had crossed her legs and her black skirt rose slightly, revealing more of those never ending legs.

"It's...it's no...no problem." He stuttered.

Brennan saw where his gaze was directed and smirked, so far her plan was working.

"I was wondering if you would like to go out for a drink with me. I would have called but I didn't have your number"

Agent Collins accepted her proposal without another word, nodding his head profusely, and grabbing his coat in the process.

They got to the bar and they ordered drinks. Brennan scanned the room, making sure no one she knew was here.

She didn't see, or didn't consider a threat the three men in the back also scanning the room, watching her every move.

Agent Collins sat next to Brennan wondering what he had done in his favor to be sitting here.

"I don't get it. Yesterday you were all over Booth and then tonight you show up at my office asking me out for a drink?"

"What's your point?" She asked coldly

"My point is that I thought you were happy with Booth"

"I'm not with Booth anymore" she stated plainly, not meeting his eye.

"Did you guys break up?" Collins was worried. She seemed like a totally different person from when he had seen her with Booth. The spark in her eyes earlier was completely gone.

"Let's not talk about Booth tonight" she whispered seductively into his ear.

Two hours and a few drinks later, Brennan and Collins were kissing passionately outside of his apartment, as he struggled to get the door open.

They finally got inside and Brennan began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" He asked one last time.

Brennan didn't even think about it. It would be too painful to realize what effect this would have on tomorrow morning. She pushed down all thoughts of Booth, or tried to at least. For some reason his face came to mind whenever she looked at Collins, making her want to cry.

"Shut up and kiss me" She said pulling him towards her, clasping her mouth to his.

_Meanwhile_

Angela listened to the ring as she looked up at Brennan's apartment window.

"Hey Cam it's Angela, can you do me a favor?"

"I'm going to regret saying this later but okay"

"I need you to call Brennan and tell her there's a problem down at the Jeffersonian; she's not answering me and Booth's calls"

"What am I supposed to tell her?"

"I'm not sure, just think of something to get her there so I can maybe knock some sense into her, she isn't acting right"

"I agree and I'll do what I can"

"Alright thanks Cam, I'll meet you at the lab in twenty minutes; I just have to take care of something first"

"You better be here when Dr. Brennan shows up, I don't know what I'm going to say when she starts questioning me on why I dragged her here in the middle of the night.

Angela laughed "I'd rather have her pissed off at me then missing"

......

Booth had never left her apartment and was now sitting on her couch. It was almost eleven and she hadn't come home yet.

The apartment was quiet and lonely without her and without a T.V. for Booth to keep his mind occupied.

Booth's mind however was far from calm. Brennan had called the FBI saying she needed a break, but was it from the cases or from Booth himself? He wondered if he had done something wrong, pushed her too far too soon. He wanted to be nothing but slow and careful with Bones so she wouldn't push him away. Booth didn't think he could deal with the thought of not seeing her every day, never mind the reality of it.

Once again he tried her cell, waited until he heard her voice on her voicemail before hanging up.

A knock at the door broke through his thoughts. It was only when he opened the door to see Angela, did he remember that Bones wouldn't knock on her own door.

"Have you heard from her?"

"No I'm starting to get worried"

Angela sighed and dropped her purse on the floor before falling down onto the couch.

"She's doing it again"

Booth sat down next to her.

"What do you mean?"

Angela chose her words carefully; she didn't need an upset FBI agent on her hands, and it looked like he was stressed enough.

"Brennan does this thing, where... well I do it too I suppose... anyway, when she gets too close to someone or close enough to where she's almost happy, she thinks it's too good to be true and finds a way to... well screw it up is the best way I can describe it."

Angela watched impatiently as Booth thought that over.

"Ok remember Sully, before he went crazy? She could've gone with him sailing, hell at one point she wanted to go with him I think. But there's something in that brilliant mind of hers that's like a smoke detector. It's like as soon as she gets too close, she smells fire and it goes off, and she'll make any excuse to end it. Though I also still believe that she stayed for you, but I haven't got her to admit that to me yet."

Booth regarded what she said; it made sense in a way. He had never seen Brennan in a relationship with someone longer than Sully. He hoped to God though that he was the exception.

"So you think that's what she's doing tonight? Trying to push me away?"

Angela put her hand on top of Booth's. The panic in his voice mirrored that in his eyes as he stared into Angela's.

"Brennan has never, NEVER had someone in her life that she has trusted so completely with her heart. She cares more about you then she does all those past boyfriends put together. I don't think I've ever even heard her say that she might be in love with someone, never mind her walking into my office with that star struck look on her face all the time now. You can't even imagine how far she's come since she's met you."

Angela watched the hint of a smile on his lips, that didn't quite make it all the way to his eyes.

"Even with all the killers she's fought, all the horrible things in her past, nothing is scarier now to her then losing you Booth."

Booth understood why Bones felt that way, and he fought the sudden urge to go beat the shit out of Max and Russ. It was because of them leaving her like they did that she didn't trust anyone, and was too afraid to let herself fall in love for fear that they would leave like everyone else.

Booth understood the feeling. After Rebecca he promised himself that he would never let someone hurt him like she did. That was until Bones came along. Booth would do anything for her, if only to see her smile. He would be damned if he was going to give up on her now.

Angela got up to leave. She had to swing by the lab, there were a few details about the case that Cam wanted to go over.

"Don't let her slip away Booth, just remember that she loves you, no matter what happens next"

.......

Brennan's shirt and bra were completely off as she worked to free Collins of his belt. She tried to calm her shaking hands with a few deep breaths but it wasn't helping.

Collins grabbed her hands holding them still "Hey, it's okay, we can stop if you want"

Brennan glared at him; his soft tone only enforced her decision to get this over with quickly.

That's when they heard it, her phone ringing again. She groaned and quickly checking the caller ID.

Brennan jumped to sit on the side of his bed as the Jeffersonian flashed on her screen.

"Dr. Brennan"

"It's Cam we have a problem down at the lab that we need your assistance with"

"I was under the assumption that Cullen had informed the Jeffersonian that I was going to be off the case"

Cam paused as she tried to think of an excuse. She was hoping that Dr. Brennan wouldn't ask what was wrong, and that she would just come anyway.

"He did, but this doesn't have anything to do with the case"

"Can't it wait till tomorrow then?"

"No I'm afraid it can't. There's a problem with the security in your office, we think someone has hacked into your files and we need you here as soon as possible to confirm it"

Brennan sighed, unable to find a way out of this. "Alright I'll be there in ten minutes"

"Thank you"

Cam sighed sitting on one of the chairs in the lab, it was going to be a long night.

Brennan quickly dressed, not bothering to tell Collins what was going on. He sat there shocked at how she didn't look at him once as she was getting ready to leave.

He walked her to the door still stunned into silence.

"My place tomorrow night?"

Collins nodded accepting her offer without hesitance. She didn't offer a goodbye, nor an explanation of why she was leaving, just walked out.

.....

Angela arrived at the lab ready to confront Brennan. She saw cam working on the platform and went up to wait with her.

"Did she say she was coming?

"She said she be here soon"

Angela let out a sigh of relief; so far her plan was working.

"What did you make up anyway?"

"I said that we had a problem with the security in her office and that her files may have been compromised"

"Nice"

"Well it would be if we hadn't got this, turns out we have a real problem now" Cam said handing Angela a small box. "Someone left this up here after I called Dr. Brennan; it was addressed to the whole team."

Angela opened it to find a pair of red high heels.

Angela smirked and looked at Cam "Just my size too"

"Why would someone send us a pair of heels?" Cam asked

"I don't know but these are cute, I think they're designer"

"I'm just ganna take your word for that" Cam said as Angela grinned more.

"What's this?" Cam asked pulling an envelope out of the bottom of the box. She gave it to Angela with wide eyes. "It's addressed to you and Brennan"

Angela took it almost unwillingly. Strange things that got dropped off to the office never meant anything good. She opened it and pulled out a picture of her and Brennan walking down the street, and a note.

Before Angela could open the note, she saw Brennan walking across the lab to them.

"Alright, what files do I need to check?"

Cam looked fleetingly at Angela for something to say.

"Um..."

"There is no security breach Bren but thanks for answering my calls, me and Booth have been worried sick about you" Angela glared at her.

"Correction there wasn't a security breach but now there is" Cam said handing the photo to Brennan.

"I was busy... where did this come from?"

Cam pointed to the box and high heels on the table. "It came with that, someone sent it to the team"

Brennan's face shifted to shock. She walked over to the box and heels slowly as if at any moment they would blow up.

Her hands shook as she picked it up.

"_Here you go, your standard issue uniform; black shirt, black skirt and pants, and red high heels. It may not be fit for a runway but the heels are actually not that bad. Now the guys will try and hit on you if they're drunk enough, but they won't try anything, not with Steven around"_

"_Thanks Miranda, I'm not sure what I'd do without you"_

"_You can call me Mandy"_

"_Mandy" Brennan said smiling at her new friend_

_Mandy hugged her before pulling back to smile at her, still holding onto her arms. _

"_No problem Bren, now let's get you dressed it's going to be a long night tonight"_

It almost felt real sitting there in the club and Brennan almost believed she was there before the scene started to fade. Mandy's soft smile faded into Angela's worried one.

Angela had caught her as soon as she swayed dangerously close to falling over. She looked like she was somewhere else, her eyes unfocused, not hearing Angela's calls to her.

Angela held her until she saw Brennan slowly start to come back. She watched the emotions flash across her face.

"Sweetie are you okay?" Angela asked as she finally saw some recognition in her friends face. "Bren?"

"Yeah... I'm fine" Brennan stuttered.

"The hell you are, sit down for a minute, Cam went to get water" Angela walked her over to a chair, still clutching her arm to keep her on her feet.

"Really Mand, I'm fine" Brennan said without thinking.

Angela gave her a puzzled look.

"Sweetie, I'm Angela remember? And you are definitely not okay"

"That's what I meant, I'm sorry Ange"

Angela took the glass that Cam had returned with it and put it in Brennan's hands.

"Its fine, maybe I should call Booth and have him take you home, you don't look so good"

"NO!" Brennan said more forcefully than she had meant to as she jumped out of her seat. "I mean no, I'll be fine really. I just got a little dizzy there for a minute"

Angela knew there was more to this then what Brennan was saying but she let it go, for now.

"What else was in the box?"

Cam handed her the rest of the items, watching her to make sure she wasn't going to pass out. "A picture of you and Angela and a note, we haven't read it yet"

Brennan stared at the photo. She and Angela were on their way to lunch that day. Fear started to creep in and she realized where the box came from.

Angela took the note and opened it reading it out loud.

_**I've never had an artist in my bed, a lot of aspiring models, doctors, but never an artist. **_

_**That'll change soon; you know I always take good care of my girls.**_

Brennan whispered the last part, shaking once more but this time out of anger. If she had done a better job of protecting her friends, then Angela wouldn't be in the trouble she is now.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Angela asked her motioning to the letter.

"I'm so sorry Ange I should've... I should've done something earlier"

"Sweetie, what's going on?"

"Can you stay with Hodgins until all this is over?"

"Till what's over Bren, I have no idea what's going on!"

"Just trust me on this one okay?"

Brennan stood up shakily to hug her "please be careful!"

Angela watched her walk away, "Brennan where are you going?"

"I have someone I need to see"

**Review because I'm very excited about the next chapter!!**


	5. Retrace those steps

"**Retrace Those Steps"**

There's a moment in a car crash, just as it happens, when everything just stops. There's no sound, no way to speed it up or slow it down, and you're paralyzed there just watching. It's in that moment that you realize you cannot avoid what's about to happen; the only thing you can do is to let yourself go.

That's what it felt like walking into the club; a car crash just about to happen. The place was full of people as always, the lights flashing across the floor, the music blaring, but Brennan neither saw nor heard any of this.

Brennan had spent the better part of the day preparing for this visit. She had ignored calls from Booth who surprisingly, didn't show up at her door demanding to know where she was.

The last time she had been here she had woken up to it cold and quiet. She had walked out of these doors intent on never coming back. Coming back was a mistake that in the end would most likely kill her this time.

Brennan had hoped that by staying away from the case, Steven would see that she wasn't going to talk. Apparently she had been wrong and now he was targeting her best friend.

There was no doubt that she knew what she had come here to do, it was exactly what Steven wanted from her. If it kept Angela and possibly Booth safe then yes, there was no doubt that she had walked in here fully accepting everything that happened next.

Booth was her partner and he would do anything for her just as she would for him. They've both saved each other numerous times, and now was no different.

A waitress caught her eye as the young girl was collecting empty beer bottles from a table. The girl didn't look any older than sixteen, and looked lost and about ready to cry.

Brennan remembered the feeling, those nights where she would be subjected to men putting their hands all over her. Some would get too close to her and Steven would pull her away. He'd lead her to his office and "take care of his girl" as he'd say.

This was the place that haunted her dreams at night. The feeling of being taken advantage of, and not being able to do anything about it made her feel like she was suffocating.

At times she would wake up in the middle of the night needing to throw up after dreaming about a drunk pushing her helplessly against a wall. His breath would reek of alcohol while he kissed every part of her he could until Steven would come and throw him out, only to do the very same thing to her in his office.

It was one thing however for her to go through it, but an entirely different one for Angela to be caught up in it.

Brennan walked to the stairs leading up to the balcony. She moved through the place with ease, knowing the layout like the back of her hand.

The balcony was mainly used to "entertain" high profile guests. Steven's best waitresses would work up here so that they could be closer to him and his office, something she knew from experience. The bouncer at the foot of the stairs was the same from when she worked there and he let her up without a word.

The door to the office was shut but the shade wasn't over the window. For Brennan it was her first relief of the night, knowing that she wouldn't have to wait for him to be done with one of his girls.

Taking a deep breath she knocked ever so quietly before opening the door. Mentally she prepared for what was coming.

Steven McCoy didn't look up as he continued writing in his small black leather bound book. "Who's bothering you now?"

"You are Steven" her voice was cold and only slightly gave a hint of her anger. Her hands shook even as she was trying to stay calm.

Steven's head snapped up as he recognized her voice. He looked the same as always, his dark eyes contrasted his graying hair. His good looks remained intact over the years, with only a few more wrinkles in his skin. He still seemed to be well toned, his upper body showing in the tight black shirt he wore.

Brennan felt as captivated by him now as she did all those years ago at seventeen.

Steven moved up from his desk to her. Out of all the girls that had come through here, she was perhaps his favorite.

She swallowed hard as his hand had somehow come up to cradle her cheek without her noticing. He pressed his forehead against hers, at the same time snaking his hand around her waist. The power he held over her, even now was unbelievable.

"Temperance, it's been a long time"

Brennan didn't answer him; just let him pull her body closer to his as he kissed her softly, barely touching his lips to hers.

"I've missed you" he said staring into her blue green eyes.

"I didn't" Brennan said harshly pushing him away, needing to recollect her thoughts.

Steven ignored her and continued on, excitement flashing in his eyes at her anger. "To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you again?"

"Leave her alone"

Steven laughed but it was dry "There's a lot of "hers" running around this place as you may remember, which one exactly?"

Brennan clenched her jaw, he teeth grinding as she fought back the anger that was rising inside her. "Angela"

"Oh that's right, your artist friend there. I take it you got my package then"

Brennan glared at him some more

"I really hope you didn't share with her our little inside joke Tempe, you know how I hate to see you suffer"

"I didn't tell her anything"

"Are you sure?"

"Listen Steven I came here to tell you to leave her alone. She doesn't know anything, if she did do you think she'd of let me come here alone and talk to you?"

"You're too smart for me Tempe, always have been. You know I read all about your team online, there are pictures up too. I wouldn't mind having a go at your friend"

Whatever was holding Brennan from trying to hit him was now gone as she took a step towards him menacingly. His eyes dared her to hit him but she wouldn't play those games with him. Instead she kissed him, as hard as she could. Her tongue forced its way inside his mouth, tasting him once more. Once his shock wore off he kissed her back, their tongues tangling in what he would say was fire.

He pushed her into the wall roughly after she grabbed his neck bringing his mouth closer.

She pushed him off her just when things had started to gain momentum. He groaned from the pause and tried to kiss her again but she held him still.

"Tell me you'll leave Angela and the rest of my friends alone" She said her eyes almost pleading with him to agree.

"You might have to convince me of this before"

Brennan cut him off "No you'll agree to it now"

Steven sighed and nodded "Fine I won't hurt any of your friends so long as you don't tell them what you know"

"I won't"

"Prove it"

Steven's dark brown eyes bore into hers and Brennan was reminded of Booth in that instant. Her mind spun with memories of him and her making her feel dizzy.

"_Booth" _The word made her mouth go dry as she thought about how worried about her he must be. He was too good for her, she knew that now. He deserved someone better, someone that wasn't out that night with not only one man, but two.

In Brennan's mind Booth was the best man she knew. He was the perfect FBI agent, the best partner anyone could have. He took care of her; made her laugh, made her smile, and she had never in her life loved anyone as much as she loved him. Even the thought of his hands running down her sides was enough to make her want him wherever they happened to be.

Steven's lips on hers were what finally reminded her of where she was, however Booth's face had not left her mind. And it was Booth she was thinking about, when Steven lowered her down onto the couch in his office and began removing her clothing.

Booth; she had failed him. She should've known she could never be the woman he wanted and needed her to be.

**Ahh it's a horrible chapter for a romance story but there's a point to it is the best I can give away. Reviews are loved and appreciated =).**


	6. Ready to Break

"**Ready to Break"**

"_**Crawling" – Superchick**_

"_**How long will this take?**_

_**How much can I go through?**_

_**My heart, my soul aches, **_

_**I don't know what to do**_

_**I bend but don't break**_

_**But somehow I'll get through"**_

Brennan woke up sometime around seven. The room was still pitch black from the shades blocking out the sunlight, but she managed to find her clothes and make her way out of Steven's small mansion.

Somehow they had ended up back to his place, where he had his way with her. The thought that she had only slept with him to keep her friends safe did little to suffice the guilt that threatened to boil over every time she thought of Booth.

She noticed that Booth's car was no longer outside her apartment which made sense. He would've had to gone to work thirty minutes ago. The thought of him made her want to cry, but those were tears she wouldn't let fall until she was inside.

She made it all the way into her living room until she saw the blanket on her couch where she assumed Booth had slept that night, before bursting out in tears.

Never before had she cried as hard as she did now as the realization came to her that she had cheated on Booth. Her tears fell harder as the truth came into her mind of what she had done.

Her heart was broken and there was no one to blame but herself.

It was twenty more minutes before she could at least manage to get herself into the shower and prepare for the day ahead of her.

_Later on that morning..._

"No one's seen or heard from her?" Booth asked or yelled rather at the Squints.

"Booth calm down" Angela said placing a hand on his shoulder and handing him a coffee.

"Calm down? She didn't come home last night after she said she said she had to see someone! The heels and note you got yesterday could be from a stalker who could have her chained up to a wall somewhere and we won't have a clue until you squints are called in to identify the..."

Booth trailed off trying to rid his mind of the horrible images flashing through his mind.

"I think you're over reacting just a little. She's just taking this case a little hard and probably needs some time to sort out...whatever it is she needs sorting out" Cam said taking a coffee from Angela.

"When was the last time she's ever been an hour late for work!" Booth growled back.

"She's on vacation Booth, and it's about time she took one. Besides she's hardly ever late for work except when..." Cam said catching Angela's eyes who knew exactly what she was thinking.

Booth saw the exchange between the two women and suddenly understood himself. The only time Bones has been late for work has been when she'd been with a man the night before, and Booth hadn't seen her at all.

"Stop alright just stop! I know what you're both thinking and you're wrong alright! I don't know what's been going on with her but she's not acting normal. Something's wrong for her to just back out of a case and then randomly not come home"

"Dr. Brennan threatened to quit last week" Zach said.

"Yeah Zach that's because she thought she was going to lose Booth as a partner, what's your point?" Angela argued back.

"Dr. Brennan said that your personal life should never interfere with your work. That feelings and emotions should be confined when dealing with science." Zach seemed to stop and think about what he had said.

"Hello? Zach what is it? What were you going to say?"

"Dr. Brennan has been going against her own rational logic lately it seems"

"What do you mean?"

"Her relationship with Agent Booth, dropping a case, it's not what the old Dr. Brennan would do"

"The gravedigger case was hard on her Zach; she really thought she was going to die. She had nightmares for weeks. Finally admitting to Booth she had feelings for him is normal considering she thought she'd never see him again."

Angela remembered a conversation she'd had with Brennan months ago

_"Last night, we kissed; I don't know why I did it, I just..." _

_Angela's mouth dropped, but her heart floated. She was so happy Brennan had finally wised up and admitted her feelings for Booth, though she could only wonder if it was the grave digger that made her take the initiative, a thought that left a sour taste in Angela's mouth._

_"Wait did you say you kissed him, not the other way around?" _

_"Well yes I kissed him first."_

_Angela continued to look at Brennan with a grin on her face while Brennan just sat there wondering what she was thinking. _

_"I know exactly why you kissed him" _

_"How do you know when I don't even know?" _

_Angela's smile got wider _

_"Let me say this in a way you won't freak out about, you kissed him because he felt safe, and you needed someone to comfort you through all this and since Booth was there you kissed him." _

_It was true in a way, the past few weeks had been hell for Brennan. She was afraid of her apartment, of the parking garage, and even being alone in the Jeffersonian. Her dreams were filled with her waking up in the dark, the air stuffy, and trying to open a window just to find that all that's there is dirt. She would wake up and find the letter she had written as her last words and read it in the light with all the windows open. For some reason those words, even though they were addressed to someone else, were comfort for her. _

_"I guess that makes sense"_

Angela's eyes grew wide as she realized her slip up. Booth wasn't supposed to know just how close Brennan came to falling apart before she kissed him. Angela could visibly see her best friend slipping away into herself again.

Booth glanced curiously at Angela but Sweets interrupted before he could question her.

"I think Zach's right, in fact you both are. Dr. Brennan and Dr. Hodgins went through an extremely traumatizing experience where they knew there was a possibility that they would never see their loved ones again. They knew there was a chance that you would never even find their bodies"

"Alright I don't need a recap of the worst experience of my life" Hodgins said

"My point is that that incident, followed by the case after, triggered those strong feelings for Agent Booth. It really has nothing to do with why she didn't come home last night though"

Booth looked at him skeptically "Oh really, then how come she won't answer my calls, or anyone else's?"

"Don't you see? She has let both you and Angela in, has trusted you more than anyone, and now I think she has doubts"

"What do you mean doubts?" Booth snarled

"She thinks she made a mistake by letting you see her at her most vulnerable. She's pushing you away to rebuild old walls so it will be easier if something were to happen to you"

"I don't get it, why now?"

"It's this case, there's something about it that reaches Dr. Brennan on a personal level. I heard there was something you wanted me to look at" Sweets said looking at Angela

Angela showed him the picture and the note, as well as the heels.

"The person that took the picture isn't focused on one of them specifically, meaning that the warning meant by it is for both. The note makes reference to an aspiring actress, our victim, an artist, Angela, and a Doctor..."

"Dr. B" Hodgins filled in "Yeah we get it, what's the point?"

"There's a connection between the three of them, we're missing something here"

"What could Bones possibly have in common with our victim?" Booth asked mockingly. He didn't like the fact that someone was stalking his Bones and he didn't know where she was at the moment.

Out of the corner of her eye Angela saw the lab doors open and a disheveled looking Brennan coming through. Even though she had trained her eyes on the side of the lab as she walked towards them, Angela could see the red circles under her eyes, she must've been crying for a while.

Booth turned to see what Angela and the rest of the team was looking at as Bones tried to walk past the platform, shooting a glance at Angela.

Angela nodded and ran down the steps just ahead of Booth.

"Bones" Booth gasped as he grabbed her arm to stop her. Brennan avoided looking at him, staring at anything else but him. His voice was like a dagger piercing through her and she visibly cringed.

"Bones, where the hell have you been? I've been calling you all night!" Booths said his anger rolling off him making her cringe more.

"The battery in my phone must be dead" she said suddenly finding the floor of the lab extremely interesting.

She jumped suddenly as her phone rang out loudly in her pocketbook. Booth clicked his phone shut satisfied that her phone was in fact on.

"Right Bones now stop bull shitting me, I've been worried sick about you all night, and I must've called you a thousand times!"

Angela and Cam stayed back as they saw Booth's anger start to build. Brennan was doing a good job at remaining impassioned under his intense gaze.

"It's highly unlikely that you actually called a thousand..."

"Don't screw with me Bones"

"I don't know what that means" she sounded weak saying it as if she were on the verge of breaking down which didn't go unnoticed by Angela. This was her last effort at avoiding the subject and she was failing.

"Damnit Bones you know exactly what I mean!"

Brennan's hands shook as she looked up at Angela begging her to help her. Angela felt sorry for her friend and wanted nothing more than to save her from Booth's line of questioning.

"Booth..." Angela warned taking a step forward to stand next to Brennan.

Brennan finally looked up at him with somewhat of a blank stare, her eyes solid and cold. He didn't fail to see past the wall that she had built that something was extremely wrong and that she had recently been crying.

Angela stared cautiously at her friend as she looked ready to break. Whatever was going on with her Booth was not helping.

"Come on sweetie sit down" Angela said gently tugging on Brennan's arm.

"No Ange I'm sorry, but you're not bailing her out of this one. She can't just run off without telling anyone where's she's going, then not come home all night."

Brennan pulled away from Angela walking up to Booth, eyes blazing. Her eyes met his and it was clear to Booth how much pain she was in, even if she would never give it away.

"Just because we're dating does not mean you have the right to demand an explanation for everything I do" she said jaw clenched.

"God Bones, you could've at least called but no. You didn't even give me the fucking decency to let me know you weren't dead somewhere."

She met his intensity with her own, her eyes blazing.

"I called Cullen and Cam that should've been enough"

"You called them before you ran off to god knows where, and that's not the point. I waited all night for you to come home, or at least call Bones. You don't even understand how worried I was about you, how worried I am about you"

"Well there's no need to worry, I'm fine"

"Actually Dr. Brennan I think..."

"No one asked your opinion Sweets, so stay out of it!" Brennan yelled at him without ever taking her eyes off of Booth.

"Dr. Brennan I'm just trying to help, we all are. There's obviously some strong emotions here that I think you need to work through"

That grabbed her attention as she turned on Sweets.

"Strong emotions huh? Next you're going to say how I'm mentally unstable after losing everyone right? How I've had all these pent up emotions and it's about time I finally snapped."

She had said it with such venom in her voice that Sweets backtracked afraid of what would come next. The rest of them were quiet, as they saw another crack form in her impervious wall.

"I would never say you were mentally unstable Dr. Brennan"

"Save it, I _**really**_ hate psychology" Bones said turning to walk back the way she came.

They were all shocked to see Brennan lose her temper like that. Booth was the first to recover from that shock and rushed to catch his partner before she took off again.

"Bones please talk to me, or at least let me come with you wherever you're going. Whoever sent that package might be stalking you"

"I don't need your protection Booth; I can take care of myself"

"I know you can, I just want to be close to you." Booth whispered. He took her hands gently in his and pulled her towards him. She didn't resist, even as his forehead rested against hers.

Temperance knew the danger he was in by being with her, but at that moment she didn't care.

She needed him, more than she had ever needed someone.

"_**And if I had to crawl, **_

_**Well you'd crawl too,**_

_**I stumble and I fall **_

_**Carry me through"**_

Her brain reminded her of Steven, how she spent last night, and about how he would try and kill Booth if they were seen too much together.

Her heart was the one that broke down won for once and she nodded her head and let Booth lead her away.

**There will be a grand explanation in a few short chapters but I can get those chapters up with more REVIEWS. Trust me it helps. Plus I'm going on strike if I don't get more than two which was the count for last chapter. **

**So you know click on the button. **


	7. The Real Pain in the Heart

**Due to all the awesome reviews and story alerts and everything else (as well as my lack of organizational skills) this is my combination of all four versions of this chapter. (I know I've rewritten it four times and still no update, I'm horrible) **

**The Real Pain in the Heart **

_I've dug up miles and miles of sand  
Searching for something I can't see  
And I've just got bruised and battered hands  
And a brand new void inside of me  
__**Complete with walls I did create**__  
From all the earth that I've displaced  
A mess that I have made from what  
I've just let pile and pile up  
I have not been abandoned, no I have not been  
Deserted and I have not been forgotten_

**Recap:**

"_Bones please talk to me, or at least let me come with you wherever you're going. Whoever sent that package might be stalking you"_

"_I don't need your protection Booth; I can take care of myself"_

"_I know you can, I just want to be close to you." Booth whispered. He took her hands gently in his and pulled her towards him. She didn't resist, even as his forehead rested against hers. _

_She needed him, more than she had ever needed someone._

_I need you  
I need you here  
I need you now  
I need security somehow  
I need you  
Like you would not believe  
You're the only thing I want  
Cause you're everything I need_

She let Booth lead her to his car, barely aware of where she was walking.

Brennan didn't know whether she should break down and cry into his arms or kick his ass for telling her what to do. She didn't know whether she should tell Booth everything she knew and suffer the consequences together with him, or suffer silently by herself until the case was over.

Dr. Temperance Brennan, Forensic Anthropologist, and best-selling author did know one thing for sure though; her heart was breaking.

It was breaking right in half, and unbeknownst to Booth, he was the reason. Every second Brennan spent even thinking about him ripped a little more at her heart.

Here he was same old Booth, trying to get her to open up, to let him inside. She trusted him to see past her walls more than anyone else.

It was a trust that would be ruined as soon as he found out what she had done.

Now thinking about it, she hung her head in shame. Her eyes welled with tears as she realized she was going to lose him possibly forever.

_Explore the cave that is my chest  
A torch reveals there's nothing left  
Your whispers echo off the walls  
And you can hear my distant calls  
The voice of who I used to be  
Screaming out "someone, someone please  
Please shine a light into the black  
Wade through the depths and bring me back_

Booth reached over to hold her hand as he drove them to her house. He needed to feel some kind of connection with her, some kind of way into her thoughts.

"Bones... I'm sorry I yelled at you back at the lab, I didn't mean it. I was just worried about you and didn't get much sleep last night"

Brennan looked up to meet his eyes, those eyes that bore all his love and trust for her. She could feel the guilt weigh heavy in her gut at the thought of how his eyes would grow cold like daggers when he found out the truth about her whereabouts the night before.

The fact that he was apologizing for yelling at her made her want to scream and throw herself out of the car. She should be the one apologizing for everything, not him.

"You forgive me right?" Booth said, his soft caring brown eyes begging her to say yes.

"I don't deserve an apology from you Booth, I was wrong not to call you myself, and I'm sorry I worried you"

It wasn't the emotion in her voice that worried Booth, it was the lack there of.

Booth pulled into a parking space next to her building. He sat there for a few seconds, watching as her gaze remained fixed on the floor.

Finally after she had started to shake again, he lifted her chin with his finger to look into her eyes.

"You do deserve an apology from me Bones, I was being an ass. Something's obviously been hurting you these past days and I should've been more aware of it. I'm sorry"

Booth thought for a moment he saw a flicker of immense grief run across her face before it was gone and replaced with anger.

Brennan had had enough of his apologizing. She was the one that had cheated on him last night! She was supposed to be leaving him messages telling him how sorry she was and everything.

"Stop telling me you're sorry Booth because you have nothing to be sorry for!"

Brennan pulled away from him and got out of the car before he could open her door for her.

Booth caught her as she made her way inside the building.

"Alright! Alright! I won't say it anymore, even though I am... sorry that is"

Brennan glared at him once more before hitting the button on the elevator.

Booth stood in front of her as the doors closed behind him. Once again she looked everywhere but at him hoping to avoid his questions for as long as possible.

"I wish you'd just tell me what was wrong so I'd know how to fix it"

"Nothing's wrong"

Booth chuckled and she looked up in surprise

"I'll believe that when I see it, you've looked at me twice including now since we left the lab"

There it was again, a flash of neediness that had never existed in her before he came along. She both wanted and needed for him to hold her right then and never let go.

He saw it too, and pulled her to him quickly before she could change her mind.

With his arms wrapped tightly around her and his face pressed into her hair, Brennan was able to take her first real breath all day. In his arms she would be safe from falling into the pit she had thrown herself into.

_I have not been abandoned, no I have not been  
Deserted and I have not been forgotten_

I need you  
I need you here  
I need you now  
I need security somehow  
I need you  
Like you would not believe  
You're the only thing I want  
Cause you're everything I need

Brennan caught sight of her couch once more and almost sank to the floor in tears like before. Instead she walked shakily into her kitchen to the fridge.

"Do you want a drink?"

"No I'm fine"

Brennan could feel his eyes on her as she moved through her kitchen. It was strange how one minute she thought she'd suffocate by his closeness and needing him closer than ever the next.

They both spoke at the same time to break the silence, saying the other's name.

"Go ahead Booth" she said nodding to him.

He stepped towards her again and kissed her before she had time to move away. It was soft but deliberate as he moved his lips over hers sensually. She responded and sucked on his bottom lip just as he pulled away from her to look into her eyes.

"Temperance, whatever has been going on these past few days, I just want you to know... I love you more than I think you know. I know lately things have been rocky but I'm not just going to let you slip away, or push me away for that matter."

"Booth I..."

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

Brennan pulled open the door, only to find Agent Collins there smiling at her.

For a moment she was shocked, and couldn't think of why he would be standing at her door. Then it all came back to her.

Booth apparently shared her initial reaction because he walked up behind her in the door way slyly wrapping an arm around her.

"Agent Collins, what are you doing here?"

Collins was surprised to see Booth there and looked towards Brennan as he walked inside.

"I didn't know you two got back together"

Brennan stuttered trying to think of something to say, which was highly unlike her but she truly was caught off guard with everything else that was happening.

Booth wasted no time with a reply.

"We never broke up"

Collins again looked at Brennan, his eyes wide.

"So again, what the hell are you doing here Collins?"

Brennan could feel the tension in Booth as he fought for control. It scared her to think of what he would do if Collins said anything.

"I was invited over by Dr. Brennan"

Booth quickly glanced at her expecting to see her disapproving glare at Collins for making something like that up. What he saw however was guilt and nervousness.

_Oh god Bones, what have you gotten yourself into?_

_When my hopes seem to dangle  
somewhere just beyond my reach  
You say you've heard my prayers  
And read my words there on the beach_

"When exactly were you invited over?" Booth asked suspiciously. He had a horrible feeling he knew what happened but he wanted to hear it out loud.

"Look Booth, I thought you two had broken up okay, she came to my office and we went out for drinks. Then we went back to my apartment but nothing happened."

Booth was shocked. It was worse than being punched in the face, worse even than getting shot. His arm dropped from her waist just as she knew it would.

Bones closed her eyes to stop the tears she also knew would fall. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she laid her head against the wall waiting to see how this would play out.

"What happened after?" Booth asked now looking at Bones, waiting to see her reaction.

"We kissed that's it and then she got a call from work and left before it went any further"

Booth felt his heart break into a million pieces in that one instant. She was supposed to be his Bones.

Finally he saw her beautiful blue eyes; he saw the guilt and the shame that was held there.

It was all he needed to grab Collins and slam him up against her wall.

"What happened after?"

"Nothing I swear! She got a call and left!"

"And then what? You hooked up with her after?"

"No, nothing happened"

"Right" Booth punched him in the face hard.

Booth held him tight for a few seconds, wanting nothing more than to kill him for touching her.

"Tell me the truth or I swear I'll..."

"Booth he's telling the truth!"

Brennan finally placed a hand on Booth's arm. The effect she had on him was immediate as he slowly let go of his hold on Collins.

"Bones what the hell is going on" Booth asked just above a whisper as he looked straight at her. He was on the verge of tears himself, struggling for control.

She didn't answer him, she couldn't. There was nothing she could say that would justify her answer for all of this. Hell she didn't even know why she did it.

"It just happened" Stuttered Agent Collins, afraid of Booth and what he would do.

"Get out" Booth said the anger strong in his voice, while never taking his eyes off of his partner.

As Collins got to the door Angela stood there confused.

"Did I miss something here?" Angela walked in and looked between her best friend and Booth. "What happened? Brennan?"

"You too Angela"

She was ready to protest but decided not to, seeing the look of pure anguish and sadness on Booths face.

They heard the door click behind them and it became all too quiet. They stayed there not moving for several minutes, before Booth walked to her.

He leant his hand against the wall next to her, dropping his head against her shoulder.

His proximity to her made her start to feel sick. She felt like she was suffocating and tried to walk away from him.

Booth's other hand wrapped around her waist stopping her.

"No Bones, you can't run away from this. You need to tell me everything."

Booth's anger lessened some as he felt her start to shake. He turned her slowly and pulled her into him protectively, her head resting on his shoulder.

"I... I told him to come over" she answered on the verge of tears. "I forgot till just now though"

Booth sighed into her hair as he held her tightly.

"Why?" Booth said softly. "Why did you meet with him anyway?"

"I needed someone, someone who..."

Booth cut her off. "You could've called me Temperance." He pulled away from her and lifted her chin up. Her eyes were still closed, as silent tears came down. "You know I'd be here for you whenever, that I'd do anything for you Bones, anything!"

Brennan opened her eyes and stared into his. Booth could see beyond the wall she was trying to put up, to the pain and suffering behind it. There was also guilt and Booth leant his forehead against hers.

Again it got to be all too much for Brennan and she backed away from him, her eyes daring him to come closer in a way that startled Booth.

"Then leave, just leave"

Booth stared at her confused "What? Bones..."

"You said you'd do anything for me, well then go"

"That's not what I meant and I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what this is all about."

Brennan stood staring at the partner she had come to respect and cherish more than anyone, who she could always count to rely on no matter what, and she never doubted that he would be there to protect her.

More than that now, he was the man she loved, really truly loved. It was because of him that she believed once again in a love between two people in a relationship. And if she was honest, she loved everything about him.

And now when he should hate her, despise her for cheating on him, in his eyes his love for her shone as bright as ever.

Here she was, going to break his heart, both their hearts.

"I don't deserve you Booth; you're too good for me..." She spoke so softly that if it had been anyone else, they wouldn't have heard it, but he did.

"Don't say that, Collins was a mistake I'll admit, but it's only because I shouldn't have let you push me away the other day"

"No that's not true, you want the truth?"

Booth didn't nod or shake his head, just waited for it to come.

"Collins lied, Booth...I... I slept with him, that's where I was last night"

Brennan's chin rose defiantly trying desperately to keep her composure.

Booth was too shocked for words. "Bones..."

"That's what you wanted right?"

Booth looked at her quizzically, he knew her better than this. There was no doubt she had done it. She wouldn't lie to him about something like this. But her manner suggested that she was doing this on purpose, a fact that hurt Booth as much as anything else.

This was what Angela had warned him about, Bones was pushing him away.

"No Temperance I wanted you, that's it." He said angrily.

Brennan was frozen in her place as Booth stepped towards her.

"I wanted you and me to be together as more than partners. I wanted to be there for you after a hard day at work, and wake up with you next to me every morning. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, and maybe one day have a family."

Booth's voice was hardly more than a whisper now as he fought the urge not to cry.

"But I can't be with you right now, and probably not for a while. I love you Temperance with everything I got. You don't even know how much. I just wish you'd let yourself love me like I know you want too"

Brennan felt the knife of his words and wanted to say something to stop this from happening, but the only thing she could say, she wouldn't.

It was better this way. So she said nothing.

Booth shook his head.

"I told you I wouldn't give up on you Temperance that I wouldn't let you push me away like all the others, but you don't have to make it so damn hard"

With that Booth left. He slammed the door behind him, not noticing Angela still standing in the hallway waiting.

"Booth, wait"

He didn't stop but pushed past her, as tears ran down his face.

Angela walked inside the apartment. She saw Brennan burst into sobs and collapse.

It had finally hit her just what she was losing by this... everything.

_I need you  
I need you here  
I need you now  
I need security somehow  
I need you  
Like you would not believe  
You're the only thing I want  
Cause you're __**everything**__ I need_

"_I need you" – Relient K_

**Okay I know that was a lot of emotions but next chapter will make you go "ohhh" or at least I hope. Review like last time please! =)**


	8. The Real Pain in the Heart Part Two

**This is not the chapter I wanted to post, but organization is not my strong point and neither is remembering the order of my chapters. **

**Well at least this makes Brennan seem more herself. **

The Real Pain in the Heart – Part Two

_Made it 14 city blocks without breathing  
Light breaks from the left and hits between the buildings  
Stop lights change their name from green to red to green again  
Love has its critics but they never keep many friends_

Its alright, this could be a rough night.  
So hold tight, this is not a fair fight.

Angela caught Brennan's arm just as her legs gave out from under her.

"Sweetie, it's going to be okay" Angela said sitting down next to Brennan against the wall, and hugging her tightly.

"He's not coming back Ange" Brennan said tearfully, looking across the room to a small table where Jasper sat. "He'll never forgive me" she whispered suddenly looking at Angela.

Angela was at a loss for words. Never had she seen Brennan so lost and afraid.

For two hours Angela held her while she sobbed on her shoulder, until she finally calmed down some.

They were still sitting on the floor and Brennan was still staring at her door where Booth had left as if she were waiting for him to come back in at any second.

Brennan knew it was what she had to do, but she never expected it would hurt as bad as it did.

"Bren... why was Agent Collins here at all?"

Brennan bit her lip, as tears fell softly.

"I invited him over" she said, her voice cracking as she held back the tears that would soon fall.

"Why?" Angela asked gently, utterly confused at this radical change in behavior.

"I don't know" Brennan answered a little too quickly. She wasn't a good liar to begin with.

"Look Bren, I'm your best friend. I know when you're lying, even when you're lying to yourself. I also know when something is wrong with you and something is **definitely** wrong"

Brennan shook her head desperately. She couldn't tell Angela, as much as she wanted too. She couldn't bear to see the disappointment in her eyes when she found out the truth.

"You can't keep everything inside Brennan, you just can't! I can't help you if you don't tell me what this is all about!"

Brennan again shook her head in defiance.

"Does this have to do with that box at the lab?" Angela asked quietly. She had a feeling that Brennan knew more about it than she would admit and it was tearing her apart.

Brennan looked at Angela, surprised that she would guess correctly about that.

Angela must have seen in brilliant blue eyes that she was correct because her own widened slightly.

"Whatever it is... If you're in some kind of trouble, just tell me okay. I'll help you, whatever it is"

Brennan laughed bitterly, taking Angela by surprise. This was all her fault, everything. If it wasn't for her, Angela wouldn't be in danger, and neither would Booth. It was all because of her.

"You can't help me, no one can, not even Booth. Not that he would, and I don't blame him. I made this mess myself, it's all my fault"

Angela was glad that Brennan was finally opening up somewhat, but worried all the same.

"Please, let me help you, we can fix whatever this is together okay? I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you and I could've done something to prevent it"

"No, I've already put you in enough danger. I won't risk it happening again."

"I'm not worried about me right now, I'm worried about you. What happened tonight, with Booth... You love him so much Brennan, I know you do. I just don't get why you would go out and sleep with anyone else, when you have Booth right here. It doesn't add up, because you won't tell anyone what's wrong!"

Angela almost yelled the last part. Brennan usually opened up by now. This time it seemed that whatever it was, she was going to keep to herself.

"Is it that bad that you can't even tell me, so bad that you risk your relationship with Booth?"

Without skipping a beat, Brennan answered "Yes"

Angela closed her eyes, sighing.

"You're not alone in this Brennan, just remember that, you're not alone"

Angela leant her head against Brennan's. They sat there just thinking for a while.

It was an hour or two before Brennan felt Angela fall asleep next to her. Brennan didn't know how she got a friend like Angela; god knows she didn't deserve her. The question, was it worth it? Was it worth sleeping with Stephen to get him to back off? Was suddenly answered, It was.

Her heart was broken, she was hurting everyone close to her, and her actions hardly made sense to her anymore.

It was worth it though, and Brennan couldn't bear to lose Angela.

She had already lost so much...

_Flashback_

"_No Mandy you can't tell the police, you can't tell anyone. You know what Stephen would do, he'd kill us both."_

"_Temperance, a whole family is dead because of us, because of him. We can't just let him get away with it!"_

_Temperance looked down sadly. _

"_Look I know you never meant for this to happen, but it's still wrong and if we don't say something he'll end up killing other people."_

_Temperance didn't say anything as she thought about the mess her life had become._

"_Stephen will say that I made a deal with him for this"_

_Mandy pattered her on the back. _

"_Then we'll fight him together. Now you go over there and distract him while I go to the police station. It's less dangerous that way okay?"_

"_Alright"_

"_Just trust me, everything will be okay"_

_..._

"_Temperance, what's wrong?"_

"_What the hell happened? You were supposed to start a case against my foster father, not kill his whole family!"_

"_I know I know. But you see my men had some personal queries with your foster father."_

_Brennan shook as she stood there glaring at him. She had never wanted this, and now her whole world was crumbling._

_Stephen came and stood behind her, kissing her neck. His hand traced down her arm, and onto her thigh. _

"_Oh come on now. You're free from that bastard. That's what you wanted right?" he whispered in her ear._

"_Not like this" Brennan said pushing his hand away._

_Stephen grabbed her hard and pulled her to him. "You agreed to my offer did you not?" _

_Brennan became nervous at the tone of his voice. "Yes.."_

"_Then what's the problem? Because I can think of something else I'd rather be doing with you that doesn't involve talking."_

_Brennan shook harder and bit her lip. His trusting eyes got her to say the thing that had been on her mind all night._

"_Mandy's going to the police to tell them everything. She's there now." _

_Stephen eyes narrowed and he pushed her away from him. Temperance fell to the floor and watched as he wrote something in his black journal before picked up the phone. _

"_I want you to go pick up Mandy Richards at the police station, and shut her up... Permanently."_

_Brennan's eyes swelled with tears. Instantly she knew that she had made a mistake._

"_No! You can't do this! You can't do this!" She screamed running at him. _

_He hit her in the face with his black book sending her into one of the chairs. Stephen then grabbed her and threw her up against the wall of his office hard enough to make her black out. _

_She woke up the next morning with a black eye, headache, and a newspaper. Her best and only friend was now dead, and she was to blame._

_She up and died and left you in the fall you could not forget  
You were too young you said not yet, not yet, not yet.  
That year the cherries choked from pretty pink, to red, to brown.  
You looked around but she was nowhere to be found._

It's alright, this could be a rough night.  
So hold tight, this is not a fair fight.  
It's alright, this will be a rough night.  
So hold tight, this is not a fair fight

_Fair Fight – The Fray_

**Review if you'd like the extended version of Brennan's flashback. **


	9. The Real Pain in the Heart Part Three

**Ouch. Okay so after some bad reviews ahah which are fine... (I love opinions but I have more plans for this story so stay with me here. It is rated T for a reason with future chapters) **

**This is the chapter I've been dying to give away. So here we go.**

**The Real Pain in the Heart – Part Three**

_You swear you recall nothing at all  
That could make you come back down  
You made up your mind to leave it all behind  
Now you're forced to fight it out_

You fall away from your past  
But it's following you  


Booth sat in the dinner, at their normal table. The coffee beside him stood untouched.

He tried not to think about the fact that everything about this was wrong, but he couldn't. She should be here with him, sitting across from her. She should be telling him for the hundredth time that she doesn't like her fruit baked. They should be laughing at their own private joke, or just talking. He should be holding her hand, watching as her eyes twinkle. He should be taking her home, kissing her passionately while leading her upstairs to his apartment, pressing her up against the wall, too impatient to get them inside first.

He should be making love to her, the way he told her about. He should be telling her he loves her, even if... even if she won't say it back.

Instead they were in this mess, and he didn't know what to do.

Booth swiped at a few stray tears that had managed to make their way down his face.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to be able to get through anything together.

She was supposed to be his and he hers. She was _his _Bones after all.

Temperance Brennan was rumored to be cold and unfeeling, who didn't open herself up to anyone. Love wasn't real in her world and neither was someone who would stick around and be there for her.

Booth was supposed to be the exception to the rule, the only man she had ever let past her walls. He was the one who would prove that he would stick around no matter what.

Booth thought that she loved him, really loved him, and then this. He couldn't think how someone could cheat on someone they loved.

It didn't make sense. The Bones he knew would be faithful to him, and would stand by his side through anything.

The door to the diner opened again and Booth instinctively turned expecting to see his partner walking in, her eyes searching for his own.

Once again it was just hope and Booth turned back around to stare at his coffee.

"Lady Troubles?"

Booth looked at the man next to him who had spoken. The man had graying hair and good features. He looked about fifty, but still in shape. He smiled sadly at Booth.

"Yeah" Booth said painfully as he felt his chest tighten.

"You mind if I sit? I've been having some troubles of my own, and I recognized the same with you."

"No, not at all"

The man took Brennan's place across from Booth and thanked the waitress for the coffee.

"You know" the man started, sipping his coffee "I've known a lot of woman over the years, but for some reason there's this one I can't get out of my mind"

Booth sighed softly "yeah I know what you mean"

"So tell me, what'd she do to have ya here wallowing in memories?"

Booth felt weird talking to a complete stranger about his problems, but then again, maybe it's just what he needed to clear his head.

"She took off one night without telling anyone where she was going, I was worried sick about her you know. I kept thinking that if something had happened to her, I'd never forgive myself. Tonight I found out she slept with someone else, a co-worker of mine."

Booth took a sip of his coffee for the first time that night, barely noticing it was cold now.

"I didn't even see it coming. We were fine a few days ago, and then next thing I know I'm here and I don't know what to do"

They were both quiet for a few minutes with Booth lost in thought.

Finally the man stood up and left a few bills on the table.

"Sometimes a simple visit from the past is enough to change the present"

Booth watched the man leave, wondering what that meant.

He sighed and shook his head, it had been a long night.

_You left something undone, it's now your rerun  
It's the one you can't erase  
You should have made it right, so you wouldn't have to fight  
To put a smile back on your face_

You fall away from your past  
But it's following you  
You fall away

Brennan had woken Angela up and helped her set up the guest bed.

Now Brennan was sitting on her couch, just thinking, afraid of what sleep would bring.

It was only then that everything started to sink in, bringing back memories that had been locked away for years.

Tonight Temperance would make herself remember everything, and she let her mind go back to that place for the first time in ten years.

_Temperance was 17 and in her last year of having foster parents, and so far it was going worse than every previous year._

_Her temporary guardians, the Mason family, didn't seem too enthusiastic when she brought home her college acceptance letter. They had her clean the house while they talked it over in the living room. _

_Her foster parents Ron and Terry had two younger children, a five year old boy and a ten month old daughter. Her step father, Ron, had a drinking problem and would come home and beat on either Brennan or the little boy. _

_It was that day when she brought home her first college letter, that she happened to drop a dish while washing it. The next thing she knew Ron grabbed her and was shoving her into the trunk of his car. She fought back as much as she could but it was no use, he was too strong._

_She could still remember the feeling of being trapped in that small space, the feeling of not being able to breathe, it being so dark she couldn't even see her own hand, and the fear that she would be stuck there forever. _She still had nightmares of it.

_Temperance was stuck there until her foster father finally opened the trunk some ten hours later. She was dehydrated and dizzy from lack of oxygen but she was finally out._

_That was only the beginning. _

_Soon after that Ron Mason would start to beat on her more harshly whenever he was drunk and she did anything he didn't like. _

_Knowing what would set him off and what wouldn't was a challenge all in itself because it was different every night. _

_Fearing that these attacks would grow to be something else, Brennan began planning her escape. Her plan would be to run far enough away where her foster father couldn't find her. Then she would tell the police everything and they would protect her. In the fall she would go to college, and then she would be on her own again._

_It might have worked too, if Ron hadn't found a bus ticket one night when he was drunk. He brought her into the basement and beat her until she couldn't see straight anymore. The pain was unbearable, and she thought she would be killed for sure. _

_When it seemed like she couldn't take anymore, he stripped her down and forced himself on her. By then she barely had any sense of what was happening until she blacked out completely. _

_She woke up hours later and felt all the pain from the various injuries she had. She was freezing even with the blanket someone had thrown over her to cover her up. She was still naked and hurt all over from being raped. Suddenly it all became too much and she vomited, the feeling making her feel worse. _

_That night Brennan tried to run away. She didn't make it far before Ron caught up with her and threw her into the back of the car. She was locked in a cellar for months before she was let out, barely having been fed for that time._

_Once she escaped she tried to run again._

_This time she made it._

_She ran all the way to the police station and told them what had happened. They comforted her and went immediately to bring the bastard in. _

_It never even went to trial though as there was no evidence left. The three months she spent in that basement had healed all of her bruises. There was no evidence of a rape._

_She was even returned back to her foster parents after a psychologist managed to convince everyone that she was mentally unstable, and that the disappearance of her parents had made her delusional. _

_From then on, Ron was more careful about how hard he hit her and where so that a bruise didn't show up. _

_Brennan thought for sure that they would believe her, or at least move her away but she was still stuck here, after all that. _

_It was a few months after that when Ron got her the job at the club as a waitress. It was his idea of getting her out of the house to help support the family. _

_She worked every shift she could get though, if only to get away from him. She became friends with another waitress there, Mandy._

_Mandy was only a few years older than Temperance and would sneak them both drinks every now and then._

_Mandy always talked about being a model and seeing the world. Temperance wondered how she would do it if she was always getting drunk and high on the weekdays. _

"_Oh come on. It's not that bad. Everyone here does it and they have their important jobs."_

_Tempe had soon though, convinced Mandy to quit all that. The two became best friends and were always there for each other when the rest of the world had walked out._

_The Roxy was one of the most dangerous clubs in the area, complete with pole dancing strippers and a whole lot of violence. And it was constantly flowing with drugs. The people there ranged from gang members to people in high positions who could get away with some of the shady things that went on there like drug deals and gang fights. _

_Temperance could never understand why someone would want to throw themselves up on stage and expose themselves like that. Sure she would wear the revealing outfit and let the men grab at her and such, but to put herself up there and do the things they would... She made sure to stick to her waitressing job. _

_She was fairly good at it too and had even made it to the VIP section of the club on the balcony reserved for the high paying regulars. The trick was to let them have their way and never put up too much of a fight, something Temperance had learnt fast. _

_It was a month after working there that Temperance finally met the owner, Steven McCoy. _

_McCoy was a tall middle aged man, with silver hair, and a tough build. He was known to always have a black poker chip he twirled through his fingers. The cops were constantly questioning him about the drug use in the club and whether or not he was supplying it which of course he denied. There was also talk that he had his hit men go out and force his clients to pay up or receive a bullet to the face. _

_Mandy had bragged about sleeping with the owner once or twice but it wasn't surprising. Most of the waitresses Brennan talked to, had slept with him._

_Steven called her and Mandy into his office one night after closing. Her hands shook as she went to turn the knob of his door; after everything she had heard about him she was more than nervous about being in the room with this man. _

"_Mandy, Temperance, please come in. I've been waiting for this meeting."_

_Although she had never met him, the man made her feel safe in his presence. It was a quality that she hadn't felt in someone in a long time. She was immediately drawn to him, and trusted him._

"_Now Temperance I know you don't know why you're here. Mandy has been telling me some of the issues you have at home and I'm truly sorry. It must be extremely hard to be in the position you are in. I cannot imagine the pain that your foster father has put you through."_

"_Thank you" She said, and she meant it. "But I'm still not sure why I'm here"_

_Steven walked around from his side of the desk to stand in front of Brennan._

"_I'm going to offer you a way out, because I feel that you don't need to be treated the way that you are. I like you Temperance, your one of my best workers. I don't just let my best workers go home and get beat to a pulp and then raped to boot"_

_The words coming from him seemed almost too good to believe by Brennan._

"_How would you help me?" she stuttered still surprised._

_Steven looked down at her and spoke softly. "I'm going to make sure that that man never hurts you again. He won't ever be able to touch you from now on." _

_Steven pulled out a large black journal. He seemed to scribble something in it before snapping it shut and locking it in one of the draws of his desk._

_By now Temperance had tears coming down her face at rapid speeds. Stephen was there though, brushing the tears off her face._

"_How?"_

"_I'm going to send out a private investigator to go out and find whatever he can about Mason. We're going to build a case against him and make him face justice for what he's done."_

_She looked at Mandy who nodded her head reassuringly. _

"_Okay"_

_Stephen nodded and turned his back to her. _

"_Mandy leave us. We have some personal matters to attend to "_

_As soon as the door shut Brennan knew there was no going back. She had made her decision and would now have to stick by it. She was going to finally get justice._

_McCoy stood up from his desk and walked over to where she was sitting. He knelt down and placed a hand on her knee. _

"_I've been keeping an eye on you ya know. It's not often that I'm so captivated by someone like I am by you. I'll take good care of you Temperance; __**I take good care of all my girls**__"_

_She nodded, trusting him, trusting his words. _

"_Let me make it better, let me help you forget" Steven's arms wrapped around her, his voice was soft. Temperance was captivated by him, never she thought would she deny him anything he asked of her._

_He helped her up and led her over to his couch in the room. He laid her down softly and gently, taking his time. He kissed her passionately, his body now covering hers. _

_It was a more than a kiss though; it was an agreement, a silent agreement. _

"_**I take good care of all my girls"**__ Steven said once more_

_There was definitely no turning back now._

_Something I've done that I can't outrun  
Maybe you should wait maybe you should run  
But there's something you've said that can't be undone_

And you fall away from your past  
But It's following you

You fall away  
It's following you

"_Fall Away" – The Fray_

"Oh Booth, what have I done?"

**Now if only Booth had read that... oh well he'll have to find out the hard way. **

**Review!!!! **


	10. The Calm Before the Storm

"**Halleluiah"**

**In case you haven't all noticed I name like 80% of my chapters after songs. Generally, they set the mood for the rest of the chapter. Unless I'm feeling wicked and decide to give an unwarranted surprise after two weeks of vacation. **

"Booth you shouldn't be here today" Angela said as Booth got on the platform.

"I'll be fine. I just want to get this case over with."

"We all do" said Cam straightening up to talk to him. "We have absolutely nothing to work with. Whoever did this didn't leave any prints, and all the particles picked up so far have come from where the body was found. Lack of blood is the only thing that makes that alley not the crime scene. Even the plastic bag the body was wrapped in is sold in every appliance store on the east coast."

Booth sighed, "No leads other than the boyfriend, and the roommate claims not to know who he is so we have nothing to go on"

The team stood there quietly, each thinking the same thing but no one daring to say it.

Except Zach who replied shortly after without giving it a second thought.

"Dr. Brennan would be able to find something, there has to be something missing"

Booth glared at him before walking away swiftly. The rest of the squints looked at Zach disbelievingly.

"What? I was merely stating a belief that Dr. Brennan would be essential to our team at the moment, like she most often is"

"Way to go Zach" Hodgins said shaking his head.

Angela went to go after Booth, but Cam stopped her.

"I'll take this one" Angela had warned Cam about the situation when she first got there, in case either Booth or Brennan showed up.

Cam followed Booth outside, into the warm September air.

"Hey big guy, are you okay?" Cam asked worried.

Booth didn't turn around to look at her, he couldn't.

"No Cam, I'm not"

Cam put a hand on his shoulder, feeling truly sorry for him.

"Hey, look at me, I know it seems impossible right now, but I'm sure Brennan has a good reason for all this. I don't know all the psychological stuff, that's Sweets job, but I do know that she loves you Seeley"

"Now you're defending her too? She told me herself she slept with him"

"What she did was wrong there's no question, I just have a hard time believing it was for no reason"

"Yeah..."

"So are you coming back in? We could really use your help, and I'm sure Angela and Hodgins threatened Zach to keep his mouth shut."

"Yeah in a minute"

Booth stood there for a minute to calm himself, running a hand through his hair before he followed Cam in.

Three hours later and they still had nothing.

The Squints and Booth had taken a coffee break, sitting in the lounge area.

As they talked about how they've had no success with the case thus far, they noticed that Zach had started to bounce his leg up and down.

"Now see Zach this is why you shouldn't drink coffee, you're wired enough as it is" said Hodgins taking the mug from him.

"It's not the coffee"

"Then what is it?" Hodgins asked

Zach looked at Booth and bounced his leg more.

Booth's eyes narrowed wondering what Zach could possibly be thinking. "Only, if it's about the case" Booth said.

Zach nodded before launching into an explanation. "I found some bruising on the..."

"In English Zach please!" Booth said while holding his head.

"Ok, bruising on the inside of the victim's thighs"

"Yeah Zach it was in your report, consistent with rape" Cam said.

Zach shook his head desperately "No I assumed it to be a rape, and Dr. Brennan taught me never to assume anything. So I went back to re-examine the body, and discovered that the bruising seemed to be almost rounded. There was also more bruising on the victim's... legs here" Zach said touching his calf to show Agent Booth.

"What could leave a bruise like that?" Cam asked thinking about it.

"Motorcycles?" Hodgins suggested

"Not unless she slung her leg into the bike with an extreme amount of pressure on both sides"

"What if she climbed a tree or something?" Cam said looking at Zach.

"No it seemed as if whatever it was rotated while it caused the bruising"

As the team sat there thinking, Angela shook her head.

"Um hello? The heels that got sent here to us, those bruises, Michelle Alexander was trying to be a pole dancer"

Booth chuckled a bit before looking at her. "Are you serious? She was a model; they make millions and fly all over the world. Why would she want to be a pole dancer?"

"She was living a few hours away from the city in a broken down apartment in Jersey, apparently she wasn't making all that much as a model."

To Cam everything started to fall into place. "Maybe there is no boyfriend, maybe that's just what Alexander told Richards as a cover"

"There's no way our victim could have this secret life as a dancer, without her roommate... the roommate! Lindsay Richards' sister was murdered about ten years ago. She worked as a dancer at this club down the street from that apartment!"

Angela looked it up on her laptop. "The night club is called the Roxy; it has a bad reputation for drugs and violence, as well as prostitution. The owner is Steven McCoy... huh"

"What is it?" Booth asked, trying to read over her shoulder.

"It's just that... that name sounds so familiar. Like I've heard it before"

Hodgins grinned at her and winked. "Geez Ange, that's a story I'd love to hear, a crazy college story perhaps?"

Angela shook her head "No I had a waitressing job on campus..."

"Okay then everyone, we'll just let Angela think about that while we get back to work" Cam said leading a very excited Hodgins away.

"I'll go talk with Richards, find out what side job our victim had"

Booth left, thinking the whole way to the car how wrong it felt without Bones coming with him, trying to get him to let her drive.

Booth walked into the interrogation room where Lindsay Richards sat. She seemed uncomfortable already, never really sitting still. She looked up when the door opened, and then looked at her watch.

"My name is Agent Booth; we met before back at your place"

"I remember" the girl said trying to look around him to the door.

"Is Dr. Brennan with you?"

Booth looked back at the door half expecting to see her there.

"No she's not... why?"

Lindsay looked nervously at her watch then back up at Booth.

"I uh... I thought you worked with her"

"Not on this case"

"Oh"

Booth noticed the girl seem disappointed, as if she had been waiting for Bones this whole time.

"The last time that we met, you said Shelly had a boyfriend she spent a lot of time with, but you didn't know who he was."

"I never met the guy"

Booth nodded as he sat on the side of the table.

"Would that be because he never existed?"

Lindsay looked to be on the verge of tears, "I don't know what you're talking about"

"You told us Michelle Alexander had a boyfriend that she spent a lot of time with, but you don't even know his first name? You lived with her, and yet she never told you a single thing about him?"

"Yes"

Booth looked down and shook his head.

"We have evidence that your roommate worked at a nightclub down the street as a dancer. You might know it, it's the Roxy. Your sister Mandy worked there about ten years ago..."

Lindsay closed her eyes just as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I know the place"

"Did you know Michelle worked there?"

"Yes... I work there"

"Then how about you start telling us everything you know about Michelle"

Lindsay sighed, thinking for a second

"She had family troubles; dad was a drunk, mom skipped out on her a long time ago. She figured she'd make more of herself if she came out here to do some modeling, escape from home you know?"

"We used to be neighbors when we were little. We would try on my sister's clothes and pretend we were models. She moved away before my sister died. A few years ago we met again at a photo shoot. We both had really no place to stay when we were in between jobs at the agency so we decided to rent a place back out here. We both got a second job at the club as waitresses to keep the apartment. She was practicing to be a dancer because they make more money off tips alone."

"Do you know who killed her?"

"I... no I don't"

"Are you sure?"

Lindsay nodded her head, with a look of determination in her eyes. "There are a lot of things you could do in that night club to get yourself killed, and a hundred people willing to kill you. I've had to learn that the hard way"

"I have to ask one last question, do you know why your sister was killed?"

Lindsay nodded "She tried to help a friend; she tried to do the right thing, and no matter what I'll always be proud of her because of that"

Booth let her leave, wondering if they had made in progress that day or not.

An hour later Booth took the keys out of the ignition and opened his door. It was only ten, and he was exhausted.

Walking to the door of his apartment, he heard footsteps behind him and turned in time to see a figure in the darkness pull a gun from his jacket.

The sound of her cell phone ringing broke Brennan from her thoughts as she stared at the blank page on her computer.

She picked it up off the coffee table in front of her, not recognizing the number.

"Dr. Brennan speaking"

"Temperance, I've missed you"

She became angry when she realized who it was.

"What do you want Steven?"

"You, back at my place, like the other night"

"Did you call just to annoy me or was there some reason?" Brennan said tiredly. She just wanted him to leave her alone; he had got what he wanted after all.

"Oh come on now Bones"

Brennan froze as she heard Booth's nickname for her. But Steven wasn't supposed to know about Booth.

"How did you..."

"That guy you brought to my bar was a nice trick Tempe, but you never were subtle about anything. I will give you points for continuing on when you got back to his apartment."

Brennan opened the shade to her window, and could see the parked car outside her house.

"You always did have a problem with my boyfriends Steven"

"That's true, though I have to say I probably would've bought that you were seeing him if my guy outside your house hadn't noticed Agent Booth waiting for you all night. He's not bad looking either Tempe; I think you picked a winner one this time. It's only too bad I had to kill him.

Her heart stopped as panic over took her. This was her worse fear coming true.

"What did you do to him?"

"See for yourself, he's downstairs"

Brennan hung up and raced out the door, taking her steps three at a time.

When she got downstairs, she found an unconscious Booth lying in front of the door. There was some blood on the side of his head, making Brennan's knees grow weak.

Everything stopped moving all at once. There was no sound but her own heart beating fast in her chest.

"Booth! Wake up! Please wake up"

Temperance Brennan was not aware of the tears that were rapidly falling down her face or that she had subconsciously dialed 911.

The only thing that mattered now was the man lying bloody in front of her, and that if he died she would too.

Because literally or fictionally she knew she couldn't live with a broken heart, not without Seeley Booth by her side.

**TBC **


	11. Where She Stands

**I'm WICKED sorry that this story hasn't been updated and that I haven't been answering back the messages to get moving. I've been so busy that I can't even describe my crazy schedule. In fact I should be writing an English paper right now but this story is longgg overdue, and I never meant to keep the suspense up this long, so here it is. It may just be my favorite chapter to date. **

**WHERE SHE STANDS**

"_...__She found an unconscious Booth lying in front of the door. There was some blood on the side of his head, making Brennan's knees grow weak._

_Everything stopped moving all at once. There was no sound but her own heart beating fast in her chest._

"_Booth! Wake up! Please wake up"_

_Temperance Brennan was not aware of the tears that were rapidly falling down her face or that she had subconsciously dialed 911._

_The only thing that mattered now was the man lying bloody in front of her, and that if he died she would too."_

...................

"**If I could just see you everything would be alright. If I could see you, this darkness would turn to bright." –"Storm" Lifehouse **

She pulled her jacket closer around her as the wind picked up. The sun was just setting, casting an orange glow on everything.

She walked slowly, dreading where she was going but not knowing how to make her legs stop from moving her forward. It was taking everything just to keep from braking down.

Temperance Brennan was considered by most to be extremely observant and a very strong individual. However these were the two qualities of hers that had abandoned her when she had needed them the most.

For instance she hadn't noticed when she had fallen to her knees next to him. She hadn't noticed when the ambulance had shown up, or when the paramedics had pulled her away. She hadn't been strong enough to hold herself up, hadn't been able to explain what had happened to the police, and she certainly wasn't strong enough to ride with him to the hospital.

Everything, everything had slipped away from her.

"_Brennan! Brennan! Look at me, everything's going to be okay, Booth will be okay, but he needs you there with him" _

_The haze surrounding her had faded and suddenly she was looking into Angela's face, tears streaming down her eyes even as she tried to look strong. _

_Angela helped pull her up onto her feet and began leading her to Jack's car. _

"_It's all my fault" Brennan whispered softly_

"_What?" Angela asked once they were both in the backseat. _

"_This is all my fault. Booth is hurt because of me"_

_Angela wanted to cry at how broken her best friend looked at that moment, believing this really was her fault. It was then that Angela knew more than ever something was very wrong with Temperance Brennan. _

"_It's not your fault, okay Bren, it's not. You didn't shoot Booth. It's not your fault"_

_Angela said as tears rolled down her face._

_Brennan wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and turned away from Angela silent as Angela leant her head on Brennan's shoulder. _

She didn't even believe in visiting head stones and yet here she was, yet again.

It could almost be peaceful in the cemetery if it wasn't for the struggle going on inside her head.

What had happened to her? How had she gone from a strong, rational, anthropologist to this? Standing in a graveyard crying once again and fighting with herself.

She stopped walking once she had reached the now familiar head stone. Brennan didn't know what sort of comfort she had expected to find here, a piece of marble couldn't help her get back on track. On some level though she knew she was here to hide from her troubles not fix them.

She let out a long breath that was instantly lost in the wind as it blew her hair across her face.

If she had been the same observant anthropologist she was well known to be a month ago, then she would have realized that someone had been watching her the whole time.

She would have sensed that that person was now slowly making his way to her now, and she would not have jumped into the air when he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"_Dr. Temperance Brennan?" _

_Brennan looked up to see Booth's doctor looking at his clip board. She took a deep breath, smoothing out her clothes as she stood. _

"_Is he going to be okay?" her voice sounded strange even to her own ears. _

"_He's lost a lot of blood and suffered a mild concussion, but he should be fine within a week or two. His arm will probably be sore for a while though. You can go in and see him if you want._

_Brennan nodded and followed the doctor down the hall. It took every last once of strength she had to go into his room. _

"_Booth" the word escaped her lips before she could stop herself. He didn't seem to wake so she hesitantly sat on the bed beside him. _

_Her hand shook as she reached for his. Tears reached her eyes, her throat constricting as she pressed his hand to her lips ever so softly. _

"_I'm so sorry Booth, I promise I'll stay as far away from you as I can"_

_She closed her eyes, listening to the steady beat of his heart monitor. It felt wrong saying goodbye to him like this, but it was for the best. _

"_Forgive me"_

_Slowly she opened her eyes half expecting to see his warm brown ones staring back at her. She went to stand, but suddenly his grip tightened. _

"_Stay"_

_Brennan stopped moving at once realizing that he was awake. _

"_What..."_

"_You heard me. Stay"_

_His eyes were piercing through her so intensely that she wanted to look away but was too mesmerized to do so. _

"_I can't"_

"_Why not?"_

"_I..." _

_She didn't have a reason, not one she could tell him anyway. _

"_Stay, with me"_

_Brennan bit her lip, wanting more than anything to do as he said. _

"_I've hurt you enough Booth, I... I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry. This is the last time I'll put you in danger like this I promise"_

_Brennan left his room quickly without looking back. _

"_Bones wait!"_

_She couldn't leave yet she realized, Steven's men would still be after him. She would have to stay for now. _

"Booth!"

"I'm sorry Bones, I didn't mean to startle you" He looked truly sorry, as though he expected for her to see him coming and never once realized that she hadn't.

Brennan was still shocked to see him as a thousand questions ran through her mind. Her eyes were wide with surprise as well as the pain of hearing him apologize to her.

"Please Booth, don't apologize"

Booth looked deep into her eyes questionably but let it go. They were both silent for a while, each trying to find the right words to say.

"How did you find me Booth? And why aren't you still in the hospital? The doctors said that you would need a few more days to heal"

Booth tried to smile but it didn't quite reach his eyes "I cut my hospital stay short and followed your car out here. Is this where you keep escaping to?"

Brennan's jaw tightened half in anger and half from trying not to break down crying in front of him.

"I don't know what you're talking about" she said turning away from him.

Booth stared at her back for a moment trying to think of something to say that would keep her from retreating further into herself.

He had been in the hospital for only two days. Two days for a gunshot wound to the shoulder and a concussion.

Two days was short compared to the week he was supposed to be staying, but long considering his partner had not been to see him since he had woken up.

It was torture laying there in that bed, not knowing where she was. So he decided his hospital stay would have to be cut short.

As hard as it was for him to stay there, it was even harder for Brennan to stay away.

In fact she had never left the hospital until this morning when she was sure that no one else was coming after Booth, for now.

"Temperance" Booth said putting a hand on her shoulder. When she didn't turn to face him, he moved to stand in front of her.

"Bones... Look at me"

Slowly her eyes found his, and he could see behind her defenses how tired she was.

"Hey... It's okay, it's okay Bones"

"It's not"

His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb catching a few stray tears.

"Right now it is, now that I know your safe"

Brennan turned her back on him again.

"It's not okay Booth! You were almost killed because of me, and I WONT let that happen again" she said fiercely. "I care for you too much Booth... I love you too much, and I need a whole hell of a lot more than I should"

Hearing nothing she turned once more to see his reaction. As soon as she did, he reached for her and she let him.

He kissed her, tangling his fingers through her soft auburn hair, and wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her even closer. She responded to him, pulling him closer by his jacket. Their lips were locked in a fiery passion as their tongues met enveloping them in each other.

It had been far too long since they were joined together like this.

Brennan pulled away first, sighing in contentment. This felt right, for the first time in weeks, she felt like a weight was lifted from her chest.

"I've missed you Bones" Booth whispered kissing her forehead softly.

"I haven't gone anywhere Booth" Brennan asked confusedly.

Booth smiled this time, a genuine smile that made his eyes twinkle.

Brennan realized what he was talking about and looked down at his tie.

"I'm tired Booth, I just want things to go back to normal"

"Me too Bones"

Brennan looked up at him. It was time to end this, before it was too late and she lost everything.

She pulled away and began to walk away from him.

"Bones wait, where are you going?"

"There's something I need to do"

He ran to catch up with her long strides.

"Okay I'll come with you. You don't have to do this alone"

"Please... Let me do this my way, just this once"

"No you've been doing things your way all along, let me help you"

"Booth can you just trust me on this one?"

It was against everything his gut was telling him but he nodded anyway. His heart couldn't bear to fight anymore with her.

"Okay just... just promise me you'll be careful"

She kissed him on the cheek one last time.

"I promise"

Booth watched as she walked away from him, his heart screaming at him to bring her back, to never let her leave his sight again.

He looked away from her to where she was standing when he found her. It was all he could do not to run after her.

Walking forward to read the name off the gravestone in front of him, he stopped short.

Suddenly some of the pieces fell together.

"_It's this case, there's something about it that reaches Dr. Brennan on a personal level"_

"_There's a connection between the three of them, we're missing something here"_

"_What could Bones possibly have in common with our victim?"_

"_Lindsay Richards' sister was murdered about ten years ago. She worked as a dancer at this club down the street from that apartment"_

"_The night club is called the Roxy; it has a bad reputation for drugs and violence, as well as prostitution. The owner is Steven McCoy... huh"_

"_She tried to help a friend; she tried to do the right thing, and no matter what I'll always be proud of her because of that"_

Reaching for his phone he dialed a number and let it ring.

"Angela its Booth, I think I know the connection between Bones and Mandy Richards. You're not going to like it"

**I hope this clears some things up. If not next chapter is going to reveal everything if it's still not clear. **

**Oh and if you get a chance, I re-wrote chapter one. I think it makes more sense now. **

**REVIEW (even if it is to yell about how I took so long to update, I'll take anything. =)**


	12. When Everything's Gone Astray

_**I don't own Bones... because if I did Brennan would have bought that pig for Angela and then insisted on naming it Jasper.**_

_**I am however one avid fan... because I own a tiny plastic good luck pig named Jasper.**_

**When Everything's Gone Astray...**

How could she have missed it? The signs were all there, the information was all there, how come she had never bothered to put the pieces together?

Because she didn't want to, that was the simple truth of the matter. She didn't want to believe that her best friend had been involved in all this. It made Angela sick to her stomach.

Years ago, when they were first roommates in college, Brennan had always looked so sad and frightened all the time. Angela had made it her personal mission to make her roommate smile more often. They had only been roommates for a month but for some reason, despite their differences, they clicked together.

Brennan was all about science and seeing everything rationally. Angela was all about art and seeing the world on a more emotional level.

The first time she heard the name Steven McCoy, she thought it was Brennan's boyfriend from back home. However the look on Brennan's face every time he was brought up said more than she ever would. No Angela could see that this man, whoever he was had hurt Brennan deeply, even if she tried to hide it.

Looking back now Angela couldn't believe how naive she had been. She should've found out the truth about Steven long ago.

Maybe if she had found out what that bastard truly did to Brennan she would know how to help her.

_(Flashback) _

"_You got a phone call today" Angela said while flipping through a magazine absentmindedly to Brennan as she walked through the door of their dorm. _

"_Who was it?" she asked dropping her bag to the floor. _

"_Someone named Steven McCoy"_

_Angela looked up in time to see that Brennan's whole face had gone white. _

"_What did he want?"_

"_To talk to you I guess"_

_Brennan now looked panic stricken "Was that all?"_

"_Yeah why? Is everything alright?" They'd only been roommates for a few months and already Angela had learnt how to see right through Brennan's façade._

"_Its fine, he's just not someone I want to hear from that's all"_

"_Okay" Angela said dropping it for the time being. _

There were so many other things she missed as well though.

Mandy Richards for example

"_Sweetie are you okay?" Angela asked as she finally saw some recognition in her friends face. "Bren?"_

"_Really Mand, I'm fine" Brennan said without thinking._

Angela had heard the name only once before, the very first time she and Brennan met. She had found a pin in Brennan's suitcase as they were unpacking her things. She had asked Brennan where she had gotten it, and she had replied that a friend of hers had given it to her, her name was Miranda.

Now in front of her was an article dated a few months before they had met.

It was about Mandy Richards

There was another one about Stephen McCoy, and another about the Masons.

The Masons had all been murdered in their home at eleven o'clock that night. They were all home asleep except for the foster child they were living with who was working at a nearby club as a waitress. For her own safety, her name was kept undisclosed.

Mandy Richards was abducted after she had given the local police department a huge tip concerning the Mason family murders. She claimed that Steven McCoy hired a hit man to kill the family.

Mandy was never able to go on the witness stand in court because she turned up dead the next day.

Angela knew that Mandy was most likely killed for trying to turn in Steven, but there seemed to be no motive for that.

There was speculation that Steven had murdered her, but there was no evidence. He couldn't even be charged with killing the Masons. Their main witness was dead and it was all they had. The case was dropped after six months with no new evidence pointing to the killer.

Angela could only imagine what Brennan must have been going through. She had already lost her parents and her brother, then her foster family and then her friend.

And Angela marveled at how much strength Temperance Brennan really had, because through it all Angela knew that she was still able to make bonds with those close to her, against all odds she stuck by the people that were there for her in her life.

Looking out onto the Jeffersonian floor she saw most of these people, looking strangely out of place without her, and Angela wondered if Brennan knew just how much they cared for her too, how much they all cared for her.

..............

Brennan knocked on the door of apartment 302 in none other than Warrington, New Jersey.

"Tempe, it's been a while"

Brennan stepped through the door and hugged the young girl.

"I know" Brennan said sitting down next to Lindsay on the couch.

"I'm sorry about the other day. I couldn't let onto Booth that I already knew you, he would've panicked and never let me out of his sight"

Lindsay laughed "I'm not sure that's such a bad thing Tempe, but speaking of Agent Booth, he wasn't as tough as you said over the phone"

Brennan smiled "Booth definitely has some traits that make him amicable and benign at times during investigations"

"Uh huh what about after you solve the case?" Lindsay said with a knowing look.

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Brennan answered as innocently as she could.

Lindsay laughed "you haven't changed a bit huh?"

"You haven't either"

"Oh come on, last time you saw me I was fourteen with braces, and stealing my sisters makeup whenever she wasn't looking"

"Yeah"

The mood suddenly switched to one of sadness.

"I've been going by the cemetery just about every day now" said Brennan as her eyes caught a picture of the two sisters.

"You shouldn't, it wasn't your fault Tempe, you know that"

"I'm not so sure"

Lindsay looked at Brennan taking her hand.

"You tried to stop her from going to the police and she didn't listen"

"I was the one who told Stephen where she went"

"You were scared, so was she. Neither of you expected or even wanted what happened to the Mason family that night"

"I could've stopped him; I should've stopped him, because if I had then Michelle Alexander wouldn't be dead, Booth wouldn't have been shot, and everyone around me wouldn't be at risk of being murdered just because Steven thinks I've told them something"

"He almost killed you because you tried to stop him once before. He threatened to kill your brother and me. There's nothing you could've done"

Brennan still looked unconvinced. There was doubt in her eyes, a doubt that said how much she truly felt responsible.

"Look Tempe I have never blamed you for Mandy's death, and I never will. If anyone's to blame than it'd be Stephen. I know he killed Shelly and many others. I can't prove it but I know it"

"I do too. My team back at the Jeffersonian is the best, but I'm not sure even they could find anything concrete"

They were both quiet for a moment, hearing only the harsh wind from outside.

Brennan looked again at the picture of Mandy. She had looked so happy back then, carefree and innocent.

Her life had once consisted of loving parents and a brother she had adored. When it was all ripped apart she had found a new family in Miranda and Lindsay. Then that was gone too.

Now once more she had found herself in a family of sorts, one that she had never asked for but found herself in nonetheless. And she would be damned if this time Temperance Brennan didn't fight for that family, no matter what.

They were all she had left.

* * *

A knock at Angela's office door startled her. Booth walked in, looking disheveled, like he had just lost something but had no clue what it is he lost.

"Booth are you alright?"

He ran a hand through his hair, sighing deeply.

"I... I don't know, I saw her...Bones she... I don't know"

Angela's eyes widened in surprise, they hadn't been able to find Brennan since she had left the hospital this morning.

"Was she... Is she okay?"

"I honestly don't know anymore. I followed her to a cemetery not far from here"

"Glenbrook?"

"Yeah how'd you..."

"Because she was visiting Miranda Richards, her old friend"

Angela put her laptop in front of him for him to read the articles.

"Everything goes back to that damn club, Miranda, Lindsay, even Michelle Alexander"

Angela nodded "I'm willing to bet that Steven McCoy has something to do with all of this. In fact I'm positive"

"I think that I should pay a visit to him myself"

"I'm coming with you then"

Booth shook his head. "It's too dangerous this time"

"Then I'll just go on my own. Look Booth Brennan is my best friend, and I would do anything for her, including taking out this psychopath McCoy"

"You're starting to act like Bones now"

Angela grabbed her coat and purse from the back of her chair.

"Have you ever thought that Brennan is exactly who we need right now?"

Booth shook his head as he opened the door. "Every second"

* * *

Hodgins looked up from his microscope to see Booth and Angela on their way out of the lab.

"Where are you two off to? We do have a case here you know"

Cam dropped a folder in front of him. "He's right Booth. I know that Dr. Brennan... hasn't been herself lately, but we're working on a case. One hell of a case at that, considering we have no leads"

Booth strode onto the platform, anger and determination in every one of his features. "I know that Camille but what do you want me to do? My Partner is in trouble, probably with the same guy that killed our victim. You want to solve this case then let me find her because right now she is the only one who can do it"

"Seeley I'm just as worried as everyone else but if she needs space then let her have it"

Booth shook his head angrily. "She doesn't need space she needs help, are you coming Ange?"

"Yeah just a second"

Angela kissed a stunned Hodgins on the cheek.

"Where are you going?"

"Booth is escorting me to meet Steven McCoy, he's in that packet Cam gave you. Booth wouldn't agree to take me so I told him I'd go on my own, now he's taking me"

Hodgins jumped out of his seat shrugging off his lab coat as he did.

"Well then I'm coming too"

"Jack we're going to a club, a strip club, do you remember what happened last time?"

"Oh please that guy was a jerk he deserved it"

Angela smirked knowingly "Uh huh, he hit you with a table"

"Exactly why he was a jerk"

Booth who was watching amusedly cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Right so can we get on with this?"

Hodgins looked at Booth "If anything happens to her, I will kill you"

"I know Hodgins, I know"

* * *

As soon as they had left Cam turned to face Hodgins and Zach. "Look I know you're worried about Dr. Brennan but the only thing we can do right now is solve this case"

"However we are at an extreme disadvantage without Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth and Angela. It is extremely likely that we won't be able to solve this case" Zach said never taking his eyes off the Bones.

"I'm with Zach we can't solve this on our own"

Cam adjusted her hands on her hips hoping to convey some authority here. "You both wouldn't be here if you weren't top in your field. You're the best that the Jeffersonians got, so if you're telling me that we can't do this then there's no hope at all for this poor girl who was raped and beaten and left in an alley way. And no future victim for that matter has a chance then because you two want to give up. Would the king of the lab give up on a case?"

Hodgins and Zach looked up slowly. "We can do this" Hodgins said flipping open the file.

Zach nodded bending even lower to the Bones.

"Now that's more like it. Hodgins go through what Angela gave us and try to see if you can find out anything else. Zach keep looking, there has to be something in those Bones"

"Dr. Brennan would be able to find it" Zach said gloomily

"Well Dr. Brennan isn't here right now Zach so get working"

Cam hoped she would come back soon though, they needed the good doctor back, that much was certain.

_**TO BE CONTINUED... **_

_**Review and it'll be tomorrow ;) *my smiley is winking btw***_


	13. Running up that road

_**Okay so I missed the deadline by a few days... but I went over this one meticulously for errors. This is me at my very best.]**_

"**Running up that Hill"**

**By Placebo**

From outside Brennan could hear the muffled sounds of the music playing within. The song had a strong beat to it, the base finding rhythm with her heart in her ears as she walked towards the one place she hated more than anywhere else.

Any other time and she might have walked slower, dreading what she was about to do.

Not tonight.

Tonight anger was pulsing through her veins stronger than anything. Years and years of anger amplified by a shot in the dark that pierced into her partner's shoulder.

Tonight she wasn't walking in there as a scared seventeen year old with no one and nothing, too afraid to step out of line. No, tonight she was walking in as Dr. Temperance Brennan, Forensic Anthropologist, bestselling author, and part of the best crime solving team in history.

Tonight she was going to do what she did best and solve this case once and for all, even if it killed her.

The gun strapped to her lower back just under her coat proved that she might not be leaving here tonight. However Brennan was damn sure she'd bring Steven with her at any cost.

Reaching the all too familiar guard, she pushed all regrets of not having said goodbye, to her subconscious. She wished she could've at least said goodbye to Booth, but he'd never have let her go.

This was something she needed to do, something she should've done weeks ago.

The guard recognized immediately who she was and quickly stepped aside. The music was louder now. She could feel deep it in her chest.

Looking back towards the closing door, the light from outside getting smaller and smaller, she could feel everything slipping away from her.

It was only when she heard the heavy metal door slam shut did she turn around into the darkness of the club to whatever fate awaited her inside.

* * *

Booth and Angela pulled up to the Roxy and took a look around. The place was pretty big from the outside, with no windows except on the bottom floor. The sign outside said the club's name in big red neon lettering.

The parking lot was filled with expensive looking cars of all types. Looking around Booth noticed one in particular.

"Isn't that Bones' car?"

They both leant over to see and sure enough the door opened revealing one very pissed off Dr. Brennan. She was wearing dark blue jeans that hugged her every curve, a gray shirt that for Booth was way too tight, a black coat, and heels.

Angela went to get out of the car but Booth stopped her.

"Wait until she gets inside"

"We'll never find her inside, this place is huge"

"I want to see what she's doing here"

Angela looked at him skeptically "this feels a little like stalking to me"

Booth ignored her, and Angela watched as Booth's eyes followed Brennan as she walked, never leaving her for a moment. It was almost sad in a way how much he missed her.

"You don't suppose she actually came here for the dancing do you? Because she looks hot" Ange said smiling faintly.

"Thanks Ange, that's really helpful" Booth said glaring at her.

They waited until Brennan walked straight up to the bouncer instead of getting in line, and then to their great surprise he stepped aside quickly and let her pass.

Booth didn't think much of it and quickly got out of the black SUV, making his way after Brennan.

Angela however was baffled by this. Since when did Brennan go to clubs and get let in without even a word to the bouncer. Angela was fairly certain that a club with a reputation of drugs and violence wouldn't just let a renowned crime solver walk through the door without even asking her name.

Booth walked up to the bouncer just as Brennan had done, but instead the guy stopped him.

"Hey where do you think you're going? Get in line"

"But..."

The bouncer stepped towards Booth threateningly, his large muscles stretching through his shirt. However Booth didn't look threatened at all and held his ground.

Angela stepped up and placed a hand on Booth's shoulder.

"We're here to see his girlfriend, she just walked in"

The bouncer looked back at the door he had just let Brennan through.

"Oh yeah? What was her name then?" He asked grinning, thinking he had caught them in a lie.

Booth surpassed a grin of his own as he answered, "Temperance Brennan".

The guy looked shocked for a moment before grudgingly letting them both in.

"Well that worked better than I thought it would" Angela said to Booth as they walked down the pitch black hall to the main floor. Booth stopped and looked back at the door to see it swing shut leaving them in darkness.

"It worries me that it worked at all"

* * *

"Tempe you're not serious are you?" Lindsay whispered

"I am absolutely serious"

Lindsay tied her waitressing apron behind her back and stared at Brennan. Something had changed with her. It was like she was a different woman than the one that had sat on her couch only hours before.

They were in the locker room area, where Lindsay and the rest of the girls were getting ready for their shifts.

"Look you can't just go up there and steal that book. He'll have it on him, and even if you do get it there are a hundred of his men in here tonight. You'd never make it out"

Brennan helped her with her pin fastening it in place.

"While I'm up there you try and collect evidence like we talked about. When I get it I'll hide it in the lounge upstairs quickly and then have him follow me onto the main floor. You take the book and whatever else you find and bring it straight to the Jeffersonian"

Lindsay looked at the woman in front of her with the same admiration and respect she had when she was a teenager.

"You'll never make it out of here"

Brennan didn't hesitate in answering "Don't worry about me, just get it to the Jeffersonian and tell them where they can find everything else"

Lindsay understood what Brennan had not said and hugged her tightly.

"Good luck"

Brennan smiled thinking of Booth and how many times she told him there was no such thing.

"You too"

* * *

"I told you we wouldn't be able to find her" Angela said looking around nervously. Most of the men were staring at her with dark intentions written on their faces.

Booth saw these men too and felt his panic level rising even more. "She has to be around here somewhere"

Inside the club it was all dark with only a few flashing lights. There were tables set up towards the stage, and a hard wood floor where people were dancing. There was a bar on their left as they walked in and a stair case on the other side leading up to a balcony.

The whole place seemed to be packed and Booth didn't know how he was ever going to find her.

"Booth"

"What?"

"Look at the waitresses"

Booth looked at them in their extremely revealing outfits, waiting on customers and having the customers grab at them as they went by. It made Booth sick to his stomach to watch.

"What about them?"

"Their heels are the same ones that were sent to the lab"

Booth noticed that they were the same pair for every one of the waitresses in here.

"That's not all; I've seen those pins before Booth"

"When?"

Angela hesitated not wanting to tell him what she thought about all this.

"They're almost the same ones that Brennan had back when we were in college... she said Mandy gave them to her"

Before Booth had time to respond, he saw Bones out of the corner of his eye coming out of a room beyond the bar.

"She's over there"

Booth pointed to where and they watched as Brennan glanced around before making her way through the club to the stairs. They followed her not noticing Lindsay standing where Brennan had just come out of.

Lindsay tried to get their attention but they were already to the stairs.

It was no use. They were in this now with them.

* * *

The Lab was in a flurry of activity. Zach had managed to find some DNA not belonging to their victim that looked like she had pulled from her attacker. The pieces of hair were a silver color that she had clenched tightly in her hand.

"We found DNA and were able to match it to Stephen McCoy" Zach jumped in cutting Hodgins off before he could reveal the find to Cam.

"It also seemed like the victim was thrown backwards against a wall, causing her to black out for a period of time. I'm assuming she tried to run when the attacker grabbed her and killed her"

They kept looking for more information though, there were some things that didn't add up. And they were determined to get all of the facts, just as Dr. Brennan would tell them to do.

Hodgins was searching anything and everything that had to do with the Masons and had finally found some information concerning the foster child they had.

"Cam I got something" Hodgins said printing out various articles.

"What is it?"

"There was a police report filed a month before the murders saying that the father, Ron Mason..."

Hodgins hesitated, his mouth turning to sand paper.

"Yes?" Cam said motioning for him to continue.

"...sexually assaulted and beat the 17 year old girl staying with them. Charges were dropped when a psychologist determined that the young girl was... unstable and delusional after the... disappearance of her parents three years earlier"

The lab was unusually quiet as Dr. Brennan's words filled their thoughts.

"_**I hate psychology. It's a soft science"**_

"It is my belief that Dr. Brennan was sent to work at this club by her abusive step father, and that she made friends with Miranda Richards. Steven McCoy killed the Mason family for some reason and both Miranda and Dr. Brennan attempted to go to the police but were stopped" Sweets said breaking the silence and stepping onto the platform.

"Miranda was killed and Brennan was..."

"... Abused to some extent. That's probably why she's been so distant to everyone... especially Booth. She figured that if she stayed out of this case, then Steven McCoy wouldn't try to hurt any of you"

"She didn't count on the fact that Booth would never leave her alone, so she did the only thing she could and broke his heart just about every way she knew possible"

"And you think Steven sent a hit man to kill Booth" Hodgins asked.

"Most definitely, Booth didn't stay away and Steven saw him as a possible threat just as he did Angela"

"Now wait, Angela hasn't been threatened" Hodgins said nervously.

Cam broke in slightly shocked herself at just realizing it. "She has! The note and heels McCoy sent to the lab. And the picture! He sent it as a warning, and Brennan knew what it meant that's why she took off"

Sweets nodded satisfied that he had brought the team up to speed with all this. "Where are Angela and Booth now? I think it's important for them to know this; they may be able to find Brennan if they did"

The other three looked at each other, horror written across their faces.

Booth and Angela thought that the danger was only for Brennan, when in fact they had been in more danger than she had ever been.

And they were walking right to the man that Brennan had done everything she could to keep away from them.

* * *

Booth and Angela watched in amazement as once more Brennan got by another official looking guy without even a word to him. This time however it was for the VIP area and Booth could see that even most of the waitresses here didn't have access up onto the balcony.

They watched as Brennan made her way through tables where the waitresses were doing a lot more than serving drinks.

He was amazed at how she was able to keep her composure when even from here he could see that those poor girls had no choice in what they were doing. They were like play things to these men.

He saw her stop abruptly and then turn back the way she came to talk to the man that had gotten up behind her.

From what he could see she pushed him away from her.

It was all the motivation he needed to go to her and help her. God knows what he had just done to her.

"You can't go up there"

"My girlfriend just did, her name's Temperance Brennan" Booth said quickly trying to push past him.

The guard laughed and crossed his hands over his chest. "Yeah I know her name, it still doesn't get you upstairs"

"Then what does?" Angela asked.

A few guards started coming towards them slowly and Booth slowly reached for his gun.

_Meanwhile_

Lindsay had finally finished what Temperance had told her to do in time to find Agent Booth and Brennan's friend at the foot of the VIP stairs. Four guards had started to surround them. And if they caused a scene now then it would all be over.

"Brian, its okay they're with me" She said coming up behind them.

It was then that Angela recognized the difference in the pin Brennan and Lindsay had, and the ones they had already seen. It may be subtle enough for Booth to miss but not for an artist.

And somehow Angela knew... Brennan had worked here with Miranda.

She turned and could almost see a younger Brennan serving drinks to a table of older men, some touching her and some not even noticing her. She could see it almost as if it were something she was actually witnessing, because she had. It was the same look Brennan had back in college and the same one she had for the past three weeks.

It was a look of sadness, of regret, of shame. It was Brennan at her most vulnerable and she almost felt guilty for seeing it. Like it was something only the girls here should have to witness and share with each other.

And it was the same look that every girl in here had.

Lindsay was leading them away from the stairs now and back towards the exit.

"Where are we going?" Booth asked while turning to see if Brennan had come out of that room yet.

"You both need to leave"

"What? No I'm not going anywhere until I talk to Bones"

"Who?" Lindsay asked stopping to glance at him truly puzzled at what he just said.

Angela grabbed Booth's arm to keep him from going back to the stairs. "Brennan, he means Brennan and how come we can't go upstairs?"

"You have to be a very close friend to Steven or a very high paying customer, usually both"

Angela nodded again still trying to hold onto Booth

"What if you work here?"

Lindsay stared at Angela, realizing that she had figured out how Brennan had gotten up there. She wasn't sure what to tell her, uncertain if she should say anything at all.

"You... you have to be one of Steven's favorites. You have to already know how things work here, you have to know when to let some things go"

Angela nodded that she understood with unshed tears threatening to fall, but Booth shook his head clearly not getting it.

"So how did Bones get up there then?"

Lindsay bit her lip and looked down, unable to look him in the eye.

Angela did too, but gave him the answer he never wanted to hear.

"Booth, she worked up there when she was seventeen, with Miranda"

Lindsay nodded "Out of every girl that has been up there she was his absolute favorite, still is"

Echoing through Booth's head was the last line of the message that had come to the lab. _"I always take good care of my girls" _

Brennan was still Booth's girl. And she was going to stay that way if Booth had anything to say about it.

Without another word he ran in the opposite direction back where they had just came from before Angela or Lindsay could stop him.

Reaching the guard this time he pulled out his badge before pushing his way past him.

Once he was on the balcony he realized that it was even worse up here for these poor girls. He didn't waste any time before going straight to the door Brennan had gone into. Passing the guy that was covered in beer from being pushed onto his table.

It was time to have a little talk about Steven about _his Bones_.

* * *

_About 15 minutes ago..._

Brennan made her way through the club trying to avoid any contact with some of its patrons. One man reached out as if to grab her but a guard instantly came over.

The men on the main floor were all the same, always grabbing at the girls and always wanting more.

It was only on the balcony that they could get what they wanted... if they had enough money.

Those who were Steven's favorites didn't have to be bothered by the men downstairs. However they were better off down here, where they didn't have to be worried whether or not they would have to go to bed with someone or get beat up if they refused.

She came to the stairs and was surprised to see the same guard from when she had worked here.

"Brian" she nodded smiling politely.

He nodded as well and let her up. It didn't matter that she didn't still work here, every one of Steven's men and even most waitresses knew who she was.

Brennan stopped at the top of the stairs glancing at the red satin couches lined against the wall and full of patrons.

She straightened and kept her chin up as she walked as swiftly as she could to Steven's office. Her pent up anger from before resurfacing.

She almost made it there without incident until a man in a black suit grabbed her from behind.

"Haven't seen you around here honey, why don't you come sit down"

Brennan took two deep breaths before she spun around and pushed the man back against his table that he was sharing with what looked like associates of his.

"Touch me again and I'll break your arm"

The waitress that was already there looked up at her shocked at what she had done.

Brennan only smoothed out her jacket before banging on Steven's door.

"Not now" he replied just loud enough to be heard over the music.

Brennan's eyes narrowed as she pushed open the door, letting it slam into the wall behind it.

Inside Steven was making out with two of his girls. Seeing who it was he pushed them both away and told them to wait outside.

"Temperance, I have to say this is a surprise"

However the smirk on his face was enough to tell her he had been expecting her.

She moved inside while closing the door behind her and clenched her fists trying to keep some semblance of control before she kicked his ass.

"I told you to stay away from him"

Steven took one step towards her, one she watched carefully.

"I'm not sure I know who you're talking about Bones"

"You know exactly who I'm talking about, let's not play games"

Out of the corner of her eye she could see what she had come here for, Steven's _"business"_ journal. Filled with every deal he had ever made.

Steven took a few more strides until he was just in front of her, and reached out to softly move a few strands of her hair that had fallen out of place.

Brennan was shaking by now with trying to keep herself in check.

His tone was soft as velvet when he spoke. "Is this about the FBI agent?"

"The one you tried to have killed? Yeah it is" She said coldly pulling away from him.

Steven's smirk had faded into a more sadistic one. "What about him?"

"You broke our deal" Brennan said pointedly moving to the side and away from him.

"How is that exactly?"

"You almost killed him!" Brennan said, her composure slipping ever so slightly.

"I promised I wouldn't hurt any of your _friends_. You admitted it yourself that he was more than a friend, Bones"

"Don't screw with me Steven, and _**don't call me Bones**_" she said fiercely.

This only seemed to egg him on further.

"I'll do whatever I want to you and you know it."

She could feel his hot breath on her face as he gripped her around the waist.

"I'm not kidding" she said twisting out of his arms.

Whatever power he once held on her was gone. There was no fear in her eyes, only anger. Dr. Temperance Brennan was back, and extremely irritated.

Steven noticed it too, his smirk fading away.

"Why are you here then Temperance? I assume it's not to beg me to spare your friends"

"No I'm done begging"

She moved a little closer to his desk where his journal laid.

"So what is it now? A threat that your precious team will bring me down, because they won't"

Brennan took another step just in front of it.

"They're the best around they'll figure it out, if they haven't already"

Brennan knew that if she were going to do this, then now was the time.

"But how will they do it without you Bones?"

Just as Brennan grabbed the journal behind her, the door was thrown open once more.

"FBI, don't move" Booth said his gun drawn on Steven. "And don't call her Bones!"

* * *

_**TO BE CONTINUED... **_

**Well had to stop somewhere. Next one up ASAP! **


	14. This Time Around

"**Look After You"**

**-The Fray**

For a moment no one moved.

Brennan couldn't comprehend at first why Booth was here simply because he couldn't be there, not now, not tonight.

She hadn't counted on this as a possibility, but she should've.

There was no way her plan would work now; it was too risky.

Slowly she put the book down behind her in defeat.

"Agent Booth is it?" Steven said coldly, staring straight at the end of Booth's gun.

"Yeah"

Two guards came up behind Booth waiting for Steven's instructions.

Bones saw them too and moved slowly up to her partner defensively, ready to protect him.

"Booth, put down the gun"

His eyes flickered to hers for only a moment, but in that moment she could see something was wrong.

She had already seen that he was angry because his jaw was clenched tight, and he gripped his gun so hard that it was vibrating slightly.

Gently she put a hand on his arm, feeling his muscles tighten underneath his coat.

"Please Booth" She whispered close to him.

After a second Booth slowly lowered his gun and put it back into its holster. Brennan closed the door behind them, and moved somewhat in between the two men.

"What can I do for you tonight Agent Booth, as you can see I'm a little busy" Steven said motioning to Brennan.

Booth looked at her trying to find a way to ask why she was here. Her eyes flickered to the desk behind her understandingly. However Booth didn't catch it, Brennan didn't know how to be covert like that after all.

"I'm here to ask you a few questions about Michelle Alexander"

"Alright then"

"Did she work here? And by here I mean up here?"

Steven looked Booth up and down trying to figure out what game he was playing.

"No she was about to, until she decided to work the poles instead"

Booth didn't say anything, he seemed lost in thought.

"Anything else?"

"Yeah" Booth said looking at Brennan once more for a moment, trying to warn her about what he had to ask.

"Explain to me how the Masons just wound up dead. Explain to me how Miranda Richards was killed after she told police that you hired someone to kill the family!"

Steven laughed as Brennan's face turned white, and Booth became even more confused.

"Why don't you ask your partner? I'm sure she can answer those questions better than me"

"I'm asking you" Booth snarled

"No really Tempe tell him"

Brennan was biting her lip so hard that she was sure it was bleeding.

"I... Booth you shouldn't be here"

This wasn't how she wanted Booth to find out, not in front of Steven, not where she couldn't defend her actions, for all her defenses were worth.

"Oh come on Tempe, tell him what happened to the Masons, how daddy locked you in the trunk of his car and then raped and beat you. How you went to the police and they called you delusional and unstable. Tell him why your best friend wound up dead because you wanted to save yourself from being charged with murder!"

"Enough!"

Angela came through the door glaring at Steven.

She had heard everything from outside and couldn't take too much more without someone saying something.

Steven stepped in front of Brennan, his finger playing with one of her soft curls.

"Tell Agent Booth here where you really disappeared to. Who you really spent the night with right here on this couch"

Booth snapped, and before Brennan could stop him, he had Steven pinned up against his office wall.

"Booth let him go" Angela said moving first.

They were all so preoccupied by the scene that was unfolding, that no one noticed Brennan slip something into Angela's large bag purse.

"Give me one reason why I should"

Angela couldn't think of one and turned to Brennan for help, who shrugged.

"Because nothing he said was a lie" she stated flatly.

"Ok see now Bones, that's not really helping"

"Then how about because I don't want you to have to live with another death on your conscience. He's not worth it Booth"

Booth let him go, dropping him to the floor. He turned around to look at Brennan, astonished once again by how she had managed to say the right thing.

"So Agent Collins..."

"I didn't sleep with him. I was hoping Steven would pay more attention to him then you. I never thought that he'd... try going after Angela"

Angela looked up in surprise, her eyes wide. "Bren please tell me you didn't..."

"I'll explain it to you both later" Brennan said, but her eyes told the truth, that Angela was right.

Steven got up slowly; the look in his eyes was filled with anger.

Brennan knew there was only one way to get Booth and Angela out of there now, before Steven's men came in for Booth.

"Look Steven I'm sorry, coming here tonight was a mistake. I should've known Booth would follow me here"

"Bones what are you doing?"

She ignored him taking a few steps towards Steven, knowing just how dangerous this could be if Booth wasn't here.

"Let them walk out of here, and I'll give you whatever you want"

He considered this, gazing to see how the Agent was doing. Steven really did hate her boyfriends.

"Brennan no, I'm not going to let you do this"

Steven laughed, wiping some blood from his mouth, his eyes on Booth who now stared transfixed and horrified at Brennan.

"What's it going to be?"

He nodded, pulling Brennan closer to him, and she let him. Grinning wickedly at Booth, he kissed her neck.

Behind them they could hear Booth throw open the door and walk out.

Brennan inhaled deeply, sorrowfully.

"Listen Steven, I don't trust you, so to make sure you don't try anything I'm walking them out of this place. Hurt them after that and I will kill you"

Brennan pulled away turning her back on him as she walked out the door after Angela, calling over her shoulder.

"Remember what I said Steven"

* * *

Out on the balcony Booth was trying to resist putting his fist through the wall. He moved away from the door, coming to an empty area.

The weight of everything that had happened fell on him, and it was too much. The wood made a nice crunching sound as his hand went through. He pulled it out to see blood running down his arm.

Collapsing onto a coach, he felt no physical pain from what was probably a broken hand. However on the inside he was struggling for control over his emotions.

"Booth" Brennan and Angela yelled looking around for him. Brennan walked down to the lounge to find him sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. One hand was bloodied probably from being smashed into the wall, with the hole in it, behind him.

Brennan treaded slowly towards where he was sitting. Crouching in front of him, she gently took his mangled hand in hers, turning it over, looking for indications that it was broken.

Booth watched her as she worked, her lips pressing tight together, her eyes going over every detail.

He moved a strand of hair from her face softly, and she paused enjoying the feeling of his rough skin against her own.

"What's the verdict?" he asked softly, watching as she brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it.

"It's not broken, but you have some hairline fractures on your knuckles here" she said touching where the bruising had already developed.

"Are you sure it's not broken?"

Brennan looked up at him confusedly "Yes, my knowledge of this is a lot more than adequate, considering I am a doctor Booth"

Booth smiled slightly "Well not a real doctor..."

"Some might say that. However I believe that silly nickname you've given me plus a Doctrine, allow me to decide whether or not a bone is broken and even how it was broken. In this case I'd say the wall"

Booth nodded looking down to where they're hands were still entwined.

"It must be something else that's broken then" He said catching Brennan's eyes.

* * *

"Brian, make sure that Temperance Brennan does not leave this place. Do you understand me? Good, make sure to inform everyone else"

Steven poured himself a glass of water before sitting at his desk.

It had been a long night, but in the end he was the one who would get her, not the Agent who had just slammed him up against the wall.

Tonight though he'd get rid of him, and the artist, and Temperance would have nothing left.

He'd get her back once and for all as soon as he had broken her completely.

Another knock at the door came, and in walked the two girls from earlier. It was distraction enough for Steven not to notice that something was missing.

* * *

Brennan got them to the employee exit before Steven had a chance to change his mind.

Once they got there though Brennan fell back behind them, looking down.

Angela saw that Booth wasn't going to say anything yet, but she was.

"Sweetie you're coming with us"

"I can't, I have to stay"

"No you don't, you could just leave now and it wouldn't matter. And we could come back with a warrant, and a whole bunch of handsome FBI guys with guns... like Booth"

Brennan smiled for a moment, but it soon disappeared.

"If I stay then you guys have a better chance at bringing him in. If _I _were to leave he'd..."

Booth moved towards Brennan, his eyes bearing into hers.

It was enough to make her stop talking and step backwards until her back was up against the wall, literally.

He put his hand against the wall near her shoulder and just stared at her for a minute, trying to find the words he needed to say.

"Bones look at me" he said curling a finger under her chin, after she had broken their connection.

"I... I can't leave you hear alone. I know what he's going to do to you when you go back into that room..." Booth stared at her hair where _he_ had touched her and shivered with rage. "I'd never forgive myself if I did and you got hurt"

Brennan closed her eyes, promising to herself that this would be the last time she would hurt him, and then quickly she kissed him. It took him by surprise, but he responded soon after by pulling her to him, while his other hand held her face.

And just soon soon as it hard started Brennan pulled away, leaving both of them breathing heavily.

"Okay" Was all she said while moving away to open the door.

Booth and Angela looked at each other strangely, before going out the door relieved at how easy it was to change Brennan's stubborn mind.

They didn't notice as Brennan stepped back inside, until the door shut behind them, without her there.

"I'm so sorry Booth" Brennan said from inside, just barely audible over the music.

Booth stared in shock before trying to open the door, but there was no way in from the outside.

"Bones open the door!"

Booth tried to break it down but it was made from a hard metal and barely moved at all.

Angela stood there stunned. "She locked us out"

Booth sat down against it, leaning his head back, and with his hand throbbing painfully.

The only thing left for him to do right now was to pray that she would be able to keep Steven at bay long enough for him to save her.

"_**If I don't say this now I will surely break  
As I'm leaving the one I want to take  
Forgive the urgency but hurry up and wait  
My heart has started to separate"**_

_** "I'll look after you"**_

**This week I've learned not to promise updates ASAP lol. So review, tell me what you think about the story or the new season whatever. I don't bite. Promise. =D**


	15. Empty as I am Part One

_**This is by no means a filler chapter... even though it kind of is. =/ **_

_**But you're going to like it I promise!**_

"_**Empty as I am"**_

_**(The song Kelly Clarkson wrote for New Moon that was never used... Hopefully I can use it. It's on YouTube)**_

Love. In its truest form love is an intense feeling for someone. That's it. The dictionary doesn't give a more insightful explanation. Webster doesn't tell you how it feels to fall in love, all the excitement and wonder. He doesn't tell you just how much it takes to really share yourself with another person. He sure as hell doesn't tell you how bad it hurts when that love shatters like a million pieces of glass.

But Daniel Webster had enough time to make a dictionary. It's hard to imagine having a life while doing that.

So what is it? What is it about two people, where they can just look into each other's eyes and just know? How can they tell that what they are feeling is true? What if it's not enough? What if it doesn't matter how much you love someone or someone loves you?

What if you're too far gone to be loved or saved at all?

_It's not like I don't feel love  
The taste of its warmest touch  
It's not like I lose sleep  
It's like I don't sleep at all_

_**After the Ball (After Do You Believe Me Now?)... **_

_Their bodies were pressed together tightly, swaying to the music. No one had interrupted them as they stayed like that, clinging to each other, oblivious to the world around them. Her dark blue dress made her eyes seem ever deeper in color. _

_Booth held her close, his head resting on her shoulder just enjoying the moment. It all felt so unreal, the fact that she was here in his arms. That she was his. That she loved him. _

_Temperance Brennan was described as cold, unfeeling, insensitive, and even heartless._

_Booth knew she was none of those things. He knew they were part of the shield she had built around herself. He didn't know everything about her, but he knew enough to where it hurt him that she had been hurt in the past._

_Now he had her, really had her, and he was determined to keep a part of her heart forever. It didn't scare him to think like this, he had known for some time he wanted her forever. _

_Brennan could feel his muscles tense under his coat, could smell his cologne, and she felt that she was right where she should be. _

_It's not like I don't hurt like you  
The closer I get, I lose  
It's not like you don't know love  
It's like you don't know the cost_

"_Booth"_

_Her voice was soft. It startled him from his thoughts._

"_Yeah Bones?"_

_They still looked in opposite directions moving across the dance floor. The music was loud, but they were so close they could hear each perfectly. _

"_What happens now?"_

_Booth kissed her shoulder lightly, smiling as Goosebumps appeared where his lips had just been._

"_What do you mean?"_

_Brennan bit her lip, closing her eyes. _

"_Right here, right now, everything's perfect. But what will happen on Monday when it's not just you and me?"_

_Booth chuckled a little looking around. _

"_I hate to break this to you Bones, but everyone we work with is here and I'm pretty sure they know about us now"_

_He thought he felt her fingers tighten slightly in fear on his shoulder. _

"_But will everything..." She stopped not knowing what she was going to say. _

"_Nothing's going to change; we're still going to be Booth and Bones, the best crime fighting team ever"_

_Brennan giggled but shook her head._

"_That's not what I meant"_

"_Then what is it?"_

_A new song began but it didn't matter, they were too lost in each other to notice. _

_How long til my heart breaks  
So much that I can't take  
One more day, one more hour  
Of waiting on something that might never happen  
How long til my tears stop  
How every salted drop  
Bruises the skin, I'm stuck in betrayal  
Empty as I am_

"_We'll still be friends right?"_

"_Of course we'll always be friends, but don't you want to be more than that too?"_

_Brennan smiled and kissed his cheek before leaning back to look at him. She looked him up and down, her eyes flickering slightly to his belt more than once. Booth could see her eyes twinkling even in the dim lighting. _

"_I can't give you up Booth" she said leaning in to kiss him. Her lips met his in small fleeting kisses before he pulled her too him again, too impatient not to taste her. Her lips parted as she moaned her approval, his tongue slipping inside. It was passionate and comforting and loving all at the same time, and it was a while before one of them pulled away. _

_Breathless, Brennan laid her head back against his shoulder._

"_Besides its too late now, I'm too close"_

_  
It's not like I don't want to hold  
Every part of you whole  
It's not like I can't walk up to you  
It's just that I wouldn't know what to do  
The smell of you runs  
Right through my veins  
Thoughts of you linger  
How I betray  
My broken heart, my stubborn fist  
__**How did our story  
End up like this?**_

* * *

She could taste the blood on her lip. Her blood. She raised a shaking hand to wipe it, before she was struck again.

It was her fault that she hadn't done enough to stop him before. She worked side by side with the FBI and never said a word. It didn't matter her reasons, she still should have told the truth.

"_Brennan probably would've agreed if she hadn't found a small piece of evidence that she tucked quickly into her pocket, after recognizing it. In that moment the case __was__ different. The body being there was not at all a coincidence"_

In fact it was a reminder. A reminder of what she had never done. A reminder of what she had lost in her time with Steven.

Her cold eyes glanced up at him, the man who had taken so much already. There was a time when she admired him, when she wanted to be loved by him. That was gone.

There was a reason she would go to distant countries and fight men like him, because she couldn't fight him. Because against him she felt powerless and weak, like those poor girls whose bones she would stare at for hours.

Slowly she got to her feet, leaning heavily on the wall. Her ankle was sprained, her shoulder dislocated, and she was pretty sure he wrist was broken after Steven had slammed it into the concrete floor.

She had fought in the beginning, at one point getting him pinned against the wall, but now she was the one struggling to break free.

Running was no longer an option, neither was calling for help as her phone was smashed in quite the same way her wrist was.

It was only a few seconds before Steven pushed her against the wall forcefully, holding her chin in one hand and wielding a knife in front of her.

_He kissed her neck greedily as his hand glided over her soft skin. _

_She looked like an angel with her hair spread out on his pillow. _

_Booth swallowed thickly, his desires building up inside of him. _

_Kiss for kiss and touch for touch, they melted into each other, their soft moans and whimpers laced with love._

"_Bones" he whispered her name like it was the only word he ever wanted to say for the rest of his life. He had already called her Temperance, but it didn't sound right coming from him. If he was going to call her anything it was going to be Bones. _

_His Bones_

_I see you there  
Just out of reach  
Whisper your name  
Cause if I scream  
I might wake up  
You might just be  
Only a dream  
And if you don't love me..._

She panted and coughed, trying to get oxygen back into her lungs. Her legs were shaking, struggling under her to keep her standing upright.

"Why don't you just kill me then" Brennan spit at him. She knew he wouldn't. She was right.

There was nothing more to say. No pleading. No begging him to save her friends. No hoping that Booth would come, that he wasn't already dead. No more feelings of regret. No more anything.

_How long til my heart breaks  
So much that I can take  
One more day, one more hour  
Of waiting on something that's not gonna happen  
How long til my tears stop  
How every salted drop  
Bruises the skin, I'm stuck in betrayal  
Empty as I am_

_**For the record I'm not a crazy Twilight fan (Just a crazy Kelly Clarkson fan). I'm however a little mystified as to how I got 60 reviews on this story in two days, but it worked because here I am writing again after trying to give it up. So yeah special thanks to all the mysterious new fans leaving reviews... ahah I'm really trying to figure it out but I don't get it. **_


	16. Empty as I am Part Two

_**Ok so this story has officially broken my record for most reviews. Woot. I believe a big thank you is in order to everyone who has reviewed. And to all my fans if I have any, that have stuck by this story since it came out... thank you for putting up with me.**_

_**Enough of that, I'll try and make this a pretty darn good chapter for you guys. It's a combination of five different tries, because I've been working on this one so long. **_

_**(I'm about to become Queen of the Flashbacks btw)**_

"_**Empty As I am" (Part Two)**_

_**Song by Kelly Clarkson, Chapter by Kate**_

_**Booth, Brennan, Angela, and the rest of the Squints by Fox**_

_

* * *

_

"_**Why don't you just kill me then" Brennan spit at him. She knew he wouldn't. She was right.**_

_**There was nothing more to say. No pleading. No begging him to save her friends. No hoping that Booth would come, that he wasn't already dead. No more feelings of regret. No more anything. **_

* * *

2 hours earlier...

"Bones open the door!"

Booth tried to break it down but it was made from a hard metal and barely moved at all.

Angela stood there stunned. "She locked us out"

Booth sat down against it, leaning his head back, and with his hand throbbing painfully.

The only thing left for him to do right now was to pray that she would be able to keep Steven at bay long enough for him to save her.

Angela closed her eyes, trying desperately not to cry. Her best friend was in danger, as she was so very often, and her Knight in Shining Armor was sitting defenseless on the ground.

Angela could still remember when the gravedigger had taken Brennan, how desperate he was.

Now he just seemed broken; he was giving up.

And from what she had just seen of Brennan, she was too.

_Angela had just come back to the dorm from a nightclub, half leaning against an adorable football jock... or something. The point was he was amazingly hot, and she was taking him back to her dorm. _

_Earlier her and Brennan had gotten into their first real fight after Brennan refused to come to said nightclub. They had both said things they didn't mean and so Angela left without her. _

_It was something that had been bothering her all night, only escaping her mind when Brad... or whatever his name was, was kissing her. _

"_She's probably in the library; she's always in there reading. She never has any fun" Angela thought shaking her head. _

_Fumbling for her keys she finally got it into the keyhole, and pushed open the door. _

_There was a faint sound of someone crying in the bathroom, and after realizing who it was Angela felt instantly like shit. _

_She had called her roommate, the only real friend she had, a few choice names before she left but the one that instantly came to her mind when she heard her sobbing was "cold unfeeling bitch"._

_Angela turned to the confused guy next to her and started pushing him out of the room._

"_Okay time for you to leave"_

_He hesitated, looking at her strangely in his drunken haze "But I thought you said..."_

"_GET OUT!" Angela half yelled, half seethed. _

_As soon as the door shut behind him Angela rushed to the bathroom door leaning her head against the door frame. _

"_Brennan?" she asked softly. There were no more sounds coming from inside and Angela started to worry._

"_Brennan, it's me. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean what I said before"_

_There was no response and Angela tried the door handle, not surprised to find it locked. _

"_You won't be able to see how sorry I am with this door between us Bren, so please just let me in because... well because among other things I'm drunk and I'm going to need that toilet."_

_The lock clicked open and Angela opened the door slowly. _

_Angela took in her friend's blood shot eyes and disheveled appearance and immediately pulled her into a tight hug._

"_Bren I'm so sorry. I didn't mean anything I said before; I really didn't... especially the part about you not caring"_

"_Your exact words were 'cold, uncaring bitch'" _

_Angela cringed and held Brennan out at arm's length. "And they are so far from the truth Bren, I know you care"_

"_In your defense I did call you a nymphomaniac"_

_Angela nodded her head glad they were talking. "I still have no clue what that means"_

_Brennan smiled hearing her common phrase said back to her. "I called you a slut"_

_Angela smiled back at her. "I figured"_

_After a few rounds of Angela throwing up while Brennan stood guard repeating all the facts about the effects of drinking, they sat on the couch in their pajamas to watch a movie._

"_Ange"_

"_Yeah"_

"_...I just..."_

_Angela studied her friend, wondering what she was so hesitant to say._

"_You can tell me anything, you know that right?"_

"_I know, but I just wanted to say thanks"_

_Angela scoffed "for what being a total bitch tonight?"_

"_No, for coming back for me"_

Those words spun in Angela's head now as she stared at the Roxy. Somewhere inside Brennan was with Steven McCoy.

Brennan was there because she was afraid of getting them hurt, because hurting more of the people she loved would be worse than any punishment she would have to injure. It had taken years for her to get to the point to be able to let Angela and Booth in, and this was why.

"_I never thought that he'd... try going after Angela" _

She forced those words to the back of her mind, unable to even think about them.

Little did Angela know, Booth was thinking about the exact same things. She had slept with that scumbag because she was afraid he would kill him. It made Booth physically sick to think about his hands on her.

She had asked him to trust her and he had, because he did trust her immensely. Now though he couldn't help but think that he should've followed her again or stopped her from going into the nightclub all together.

He knew guys like Steven McCoy. They killed anyone that crossed them but the killings could never be traced back to them. They acquired young helpless girls and forced themselves on them. When those girls refused he'd threaten them or their families until they were so terrified they did what he wanted them to.

Not only was his Bones one of those girls, she was Steven's favorite.

And It made him sick to think of her in any sort of trouble.

_They still sat in the church pew thinking quietly about the day's advents. Brennan was breathing, she was above air, she was alive. _

_She was in a church._

_It was only the second time she had been in one; the first time had been traumatic enough. _

_Tonight the old church was oddly comforting, possibly because it was a large open space with no dirt anywhere in sight. Maybe it was because churches were supposed to be safe places for people to pray and whatever else the church told them they had to do to be saved in an afterlife that didn't exist._

_Brennan thought it had more to do with the man sitting beside her. _

_Though she would never admit it to anyone, the only time she truly felt safe was with him. There was an undeniable comfort she felt just being able to see him or smell his aftershave, and the very few times she touched him. _

_She tried very hard not to touch him, because it seemed that every time she did it became harder and harder not to do more than touch him. _

_Like now for example, their hands were laying on the bench next to each other. A few inches over and she would be holding his hand. _

_She could, she knew he would let her, but touching him now might mean her break down. And she'd be damned if she ever cried in front of Booth._

_So she kept her distance. _

_Deep down Brennan wanted more than this with him, more than late night take out and sitting in empty churches, but putting herself out there like that could be disastrous to their relationship. _

_It wasn't a chance she was willing to take. _

_Today was the first time she had really admitted to herself that she was falling in love with Booth, or more practically she was already in love._

_The letter she wrote him underground was in her pocket, the ultimate confession of her feelings for him. Now that she was safely above ground she doubted she would ever be able to give him that letter or say it to his face how she felt. _

_Booth caught her staring at their hands just inches apart on the bench and quickly threaded his fingers with hers, surprised once again at how perfectly they fit. _

_She took a deeper breath than usual and refused to look up at him. He wondered what she was thinking about, hell he was dying to know what she was thinking. _

_He needed to hear her say she was alright a few more times, he needed to hear her laugh or make comments about how Religion was an antiquated ritual or something. He needed her to break down into his arms and tell him how in those last few hours she wished she had told him she loved him. _

_Booth needed anything at this point to know she wasn't retreating into herself, because he wasn't sure his heart could take it after today, after almost losing her. _

"_You okay Bones?"_

_She was still staring at where their hands were intertwined._

"_Yeah..."_

_With his other hand he lifted her chin up so he could see her eyes, so he could see whether or not she was telling the truth. _

"_Are you sure?"_

_Somewhere along the line he had figured her out and gained the ability to read through her wall. _

_As she stared into his eyes, she forcefully had to stop herself from leaning towards him for maybe just one kiss... _

_He kept staring at her, making her shiver, and it wasn't until she remembered what she had asked did she reply._

"_The doctors already cleared me for work in a few days"_

"_That's not what I asked"_

_God did he want to kiss her right then in there, even if he was in church. She just looked so broken and lost and all he wanted to do was wrap her up in her arms and kiss away all the horrors of the day. _

"_I'm going to be fine Booth, I've been through worse trust me" _

_With that she stood up, her hand still in his. Looking down at him she looked stuck between staying and leaving, or maybe possibly stuck on the middle of that line he had put up only a few months ago. That stupid line he had put up between romance and partnership._

_Finally she pulled away and walked slowly towards the back of the church. _

_Booth shook his head knowing she was waiting for him. _

"_It's only a matter of times Bones" he said to himself "only a matter of time."_

It was only a week after the Grave Digger incident that she had snapped and kissed him. He supposed he would never know what finally caused her to make the first move but he wasn't complaining.

For one whole month she was finally his. They had gone on their first date, made love for the first time, hell she had even told him she loved him out loud. Booth missed those days, the days before Steven McCoy came back into her life and ruined everything.

Booth wanted his Bones back, he wanted her to smile again, and he wanted her to kiss him like she wasn't afraid he would leave het at any moment but just content to be kissing him.

"Son of a bitch!" Booth yelled as he got up quickly and punched the door a few times, letting his anger out on the building that had stolen the love of his life out from under him.

"Booth stop before you really break your hand!" Angela said trying to calm him down.

"I don't care"

"It's not going to help us get back inside so we can help Brennan"

Booth took a deep breath and stepped back.

"She doesn't want our help"

Angela hit him with her purse.

"Ow what was that for?"

"She needs you Booth and you're just sitting around. You're supposed to be her knight in shining armor and you've given up"

Booth took in what she said, his panic level rising more and more as every second went by. He always saved her, always. And he knew that if he let that bastard ravage his partner, his girlfriend, she would secretly never forgive him.

"You're right" He finally said "Angela stay here and call the FBI. Tell them what's going on and have them send a swat team. I'm going to find a way in here"

"I'm coming with you"

"No you're not. I promised Hodgins I'd keep you safe and I'm going to do just that"

Without another word Booth left Angela standing there.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

A tear made its way down her cheek as she walked away from the only family she had left. Brennan leant against the wall taking deep breaths to calm herself, now was not the time to break down.

There were at least forty of Steven's hit men in the next room, all of whom would now be aware that an FBI agent had made his way in.

The place had started to clear out to where Steven's men along with the waitresses were the only ones left.

Brennan knew that Booth and Angela wouldn't have left yet, which meant that if she were to act, then now would be the time.

She followed the same route she had taken to Steven's office, some waitresses watching her go by. They knew what was about to happen, they had heard about the incident in Steven's office, and they knew the consequences of something like this.

Brennan opened the office door to find Steven wasn't there. Confused she stood there a moment until there was a loud thump and the next thing she knew everything had turned to black.

* * *

"Hi yes, look Booth needs a swat team sent over to the Roxy now! Dr. Brennan has been... kidnapped and she's locked inside. There's also about forty of Steven's friends with guns who look really criminalish and Booth just went in by himself."

"Ok, the Swat team is already on their way" Cullen said rather calmly into the receiver.

"What?" Angela asked, "How are they already on their way?"

"The rest of the Squints called it in, they found the evidence they needed and got a warrant. They're all on their way now."

For once things were going right.

"What evidence did they find?"

"I don't exactly know, but I'm sure that they'll tell you when they get there"

Angela hung up the phone and looked around, unsure of what to do now. She jumped as she saw a figure appear from around the corner.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you"

Angela immediately recognized her "Lindsay Richards right?"

"Yeah and you're... Angela?"

"Montenegro"

"Right, what are you still doing here?"

"Brennan went back in to "talk" with Steven"

"But she was already in his office"

"She went back and locked us out, and I don't think that those guards are going to let us back in."

"No they won't, everyone just got the order to lock all the doors. What happened with Steven?"

"Booth, Agent Booth pushed him up against the wall and then Brennan stepped in and said she'd do anything as long as we walked free and now she's in there having god knows what done to her."

Lindsay looked petrified by the time Angela was done talking.

Flashbacks from back when she was only fifteen played in her head.

"_Where's Temperance?" She asked the man she had come to hate more than anyone. She was too young to work here but she knew what her sister and Tempe had gone through with him._

"_You're Mandy's sister" he replied, studying her over._

"_Where is she, we haven't seen her in weeks" Lindsay said avoiding the subject of her sister._

"_Who Temperance or Mandy, because I'm sorry to say this but your sister is dead"_

_Her temper flared as she realized he was just playing with her. _

"_Look you asshole, tell me where she is or I'll have the cops here so fast you won't even have time to get out of your chair"_

_He rounded the desk quick, grabbing her chin. "You think you can threaten me huh? Do you want to know what happens to girls that threaten me?"_

_In a moment he had opened the door and was leading her away. _

"_Where are we going?" she asked as they turned into another staircase._

"_You wanted to see Temperance didn't you? Come on!" _

_At the bottom of the stairs was a door that Steven opened into a hall. The next door he opened was the one that connected them to the warehouse. _

_Once they were inside Lindsay could hear the sounds of someone moving around, occasionally crying out in pain. _

_A few turns around some crates and there was Temperance, chained to the wall with only a small bed and a chair around her. _

_Lindsay gasped when she saw the woman she had come to see as another sister. She was covered in bruises and cuts, from her face down. She was only wearing one of Steven's long shirts to cover her skinny form. She looked tired and pale, like she hadn't eaten or slept in days. _

"_Lindsay" she said her name but it was no more than a harsh whisper._

_Without thinking she ran to her, dropping down in front of her on her knees. _

_Temperance looked terrified; she was shaking slightly, and flinched when Lindsay tried to touch her. _

"_What have you done to her?" She yelled at Steven, but he only laughed. _

"_Nothing compared to what she's going to get, and if you even talk to a cop you'll end up down here too"_

Lindsay started talking to herself acting panicked "This isn't part of the plan, he's going to find out and... oh my god!"

"What's wrong?"

Lindsay started shaking her head "You don't understand, Booth was supposed to be dead. He was supposed to be dead and he isn't and then there's the thing and ... this isn't playing around he's really going to kill her."

"But I thought..."

"Every time she comes back here Steven almost kills her. The first time was when my sister was killed, Steven kidnapped her for two months after she tried to tell the police and tortured her in his warehouse. The last time was when he found out she was working alongside an FBI agent where I think he had almost drowned her, but they worked out an agreement to which she would tip him off whenever the FBI got too close to his operation, which is why it's taken so long for FBI to show up at these doors."

"Why is it now that he started all this?"

"He took a special interest in her again after some Gravedigger thing. He managed to sneak in to that fundraiser the Jeffersonian had a month ago and flipped out when he saw her and Agent Booth together and killed Michelle that night. Temperance had been helping her find her younger sister for a while now, and when Steven said he was going to kill Tempe, she freaked and pulled a gun on him. She couldn't do it though, she couldn't kill him. So he killed her, and left her for Tempe to find."

Angela was now even more petrified for her friend than ever. "How do you know all this?"

"We all do, it's how we stay alive, all we've got is each other here"

Angela nodded feeling bad for all these poor young girls at Steven's disposal.

Lindsay felt someone watching her and turned to find two of the guards coming towards them.

"You have to go now!"

Angela turned to run but it was too late. There were already two more guards coming from the opposite direction.

_**In the words of Scooby Dooby Doo, rough row raggy lol. Okay so not a lot of action going on because I'm saving that till next chapter, but this one goes before the last chapter if you're looking for a timeline. Also a lot of you have said how much you like the background story I've created for Brennan, so I figured I'd add a little more to it. **_


	17. Empty as I am Part Three

_**Alright this is the big one, the one I've been saving up for. I think I went through about five different songs on repeat while writing this, but the ones I liked most for this chapter were "Running up that Hill" by Placebo and "A Light on a Hill" by Margot and the Nuclear So So's. I think I already used them both in other chapters but they fit. **_

_**Hope you like it. **_

**Empty as I am (Part three)**

_She panted and coughed, trying to get oxygen back into her lungs. Her legs were shaking, struggling under her to keep her standing upright. _

"_Why don't you just kill me then" Brennan spit at him. She knew he wouldn't. She was right._

_There was nothing more to say. No pleading. No begging him to save her friends. No hoping that Booth would come, that he wasn't already dead. No more feelings of regret. No more anything. _

_One hour earlier..._

Brennan woke up with a headache in the dimly lit warehouse. Actually headache was an understatement because it felt as if her head had been smashed into the wall repeatedly and for all intensive purposes it had. She still wasn't quite sure what connected with her skull to make her black out but it was Steven's M.O.

Picking her head up slowly to look around, she realized for once that she wasn't chained to the wall where she had been far too many times in the past.

It only took her a second to realize why when she went to stand up and pain shot through her ankle. It only seemed to be sprained, but it was enough for her not to be able to run very far.

A small cough from her left sent her whipping around to see Steven watching her intently. "I love seeing the confusion on your face when you wake up. It makes these next few minutes that much more fun"

She stared at where he was holding a gun loosely in his hand.

It was her gun, the one she had hidden in her coat, and somehow her coat was missing.

"Looking for something?" He smirked waving it in the air.

Brennan looked around for anything she could use as a weapon, but all there was were crates that seemed to box her in.

Steven moved so that he was right in front of her.

"You know Temperance" he continued "You've always been my favorite, you still are, but this?" he asked holding the gun up "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to off me"

"I don't know what that means"

Ignoring her, he started to pace. "What did you come here tonight for? Because I figured that you'd come here telling me you dumped your little boyfriend so that I wouldn't hurt him again. I thought that I'd hear you promise not to go near him anymore"

He paused for a moment, staring at the ground. "Instead not only did _**you**_ threaten me but I got shoved up against a god damn wall in my own fucking office Temperance!"

Smiling her "know it all" smile as Booth liked to call it, she laughed. "He did beat you up pretty bad huh?"

With that Steven lost it and swung at her. Brennan ducked and at the same time landed an uppercut to Steven's nose knocking him backwards against the wall.

His hand reached up to his nose to see that it was bleeding.

"You bitch" he yelled angrily. His icy gray eyes became full of anger.

"Things have changed Steven. I'm not the same girl that used to work for you"

He stood up straight taking her in as if trying to see what was new. Eyes softening a bit, he began to look like the man she first met, the man she was almost sure she was in love with. He was captivating and powerful, and sensual and wicked all at the same time.

"You'll always be that girl Tempe. You'll always be my girl"

For a moment she was struck by this. For a moment she was the young girl who felt that she really was _his girl_.

However a voice in the back of her head screamed at her. It was Booth's voice so clear and calm, like he was right there with her. _"Don't listen to him Bones, I don't care if I have Alpha-Male Tendencies, you're my girl. Okay Bones? Just keep holding on, I'll find you"_

"You're wrong"

He ran at her again, a fist flying towards her head but at the last minute she dodged him and they swapped places.

"I have to say, that FBI agent boy toy of yours has taught you well"

"Martial art classes actually"

"Right" he said before swinging at her again. This time she blocked him with her right and gave him another swift punch to the face.

He doubled over, and she kneed him in the face, sending him to the floor.

"I've been waiting years to do that" she said, breathing heavily.

She didn't have handcuffs or anything to tie him up with, so she looked for the keys to open the door. Just as she found them, hanging there next to the wall, she heard the sickening sound of a gun being cocked behind her.

The gun, her gun was in Steven's hands. She had forgotten that Steven had taken it off of her while she was still unconscious.

She stood still waiting to hear him pull the trigger, but it never came.

"Did you forget I had this? Did you really think that you would get out of here? You're supposed to be the world renowned scientist; I'm just the guy that owns the nightclub"

"Forensic Anthropologist actually, and I am smart enough to know that you can't keep me in here forever Steven" Brennan said turning around.

Steven had a wicked grin on his face that spoke of terrifying plans that lay ahead.

"If it was anyone else they would be dead by now but not you. No Temperance, I have something better planned for you. After I'm done with you you'll wish you were dead"

She tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she thought of what he might possibly mean by that.

* * *

"Get off of me!" Angela yelled as she was led along by two guards. She was fighting them as much as she could, kicking and dragging her feet.

"Angela that's not going to do anything" whispered Lindsay slightly behind her.

Angela didn't seem to care as she continued to try and break free of their hold.

"My boyfriend's going to wonder where I am if you don't let me go and you're both going to be sorry!"

"Oh yeah who's your boyfriend sweetheart?"

"He's huge, all muscle, and he has guns, lots of them. And if I don't get back to him soon he's going to come down here with his... biker gang"

The two guards just laughed and kept them walking around the building.

"Biker gang?" Lindsay asked her incredulously, shooting her a look.

"Well it was better than doing nothing" Angela said squirming again.

The guard on her left got aggravated and swung her to the ground and pulled out a gun.

"If you don't stop trying to run I'm going to shoot you, and then Steven wouldn't be able to have you"

"Have me?" she asked slowly reaching in her purse. "He's not going to have me. I'm not a girl that get's had okay Mr. Body guard"

"Angela" Lindsay warned.

"No, whatever they want me to do I'm not doing it. I don't listen to a bunch of sissy men who do whatever some scumbag says just because they're too afraid to be their own men. Pretty pathetic if you ask me"

The guard that had thrown her down took her arm again, and was only inches away from Angela's face. It was a perfect position for her to pull the pepper spray Brennan had given her (funnily enough for exactly this type of thing) from her purse and spray him in the face.

In agony he rolled in the grass, clutching his face desperately.

Meanwhile Angela got up just in time for her other guard to charge her. Without thinking she swung her purse at him, hitting him square in the face. Looking at her purse, she realized that it was strangely heavier than it was before.

Lindsay had been starring in shock at what was unfolding, and when her guard went to go after Angela she tripped him making him fall to the ground, before kicking him below the belt.

Angela stared at Lindsay in shock of what they had just done.

"We have to find Booth and tell him where Brennan is"

Lindsay nodded and they ran towards the closest door of the club, using Lindsay's key to unlock it.

* * *

After Booth left Angela standing out on the side of the building to wait for a swat team to get there, he went from door to door looking for one left unlocked.

When he finally got to the front again, he found the same guard standing in front of an open door.

"I need to get back inside, I got locked out and Temperance is still in there!"

Booth rushed up the steps but was stopped by the guy.

"We've been ordered to lock all the doors. No one goes in or out"

"I need to get in there, she's waiting for me"

The guard didn't move. "She can wait"

"Fine" Booth said nodding. He took a few steps away before spinning around again and pulling out his gun.

"I suggest you let me in"

The guard, who didn't look over thirty, gave in and stepped aside.

Booth nodded and let himself back into the darkness of the main floor. Hopefully he still had time to get to Brennan before she once again was forced into Steven's bed... or worse.

* * *

"Temperance let's you and me have a talk about that boyfriend of yours. Booth is it?"

Brennan sat tied to a chair in front of him.

"Untie me first"

Steven squatted down in front of her and moved a piece of her hair gently off her face. "Tempe, you know I can't do that. You have a habit for escaping when you're not supposed to remember?"

Brennan didn't respond.

Steven pulled up another chair in front of her, and grabbed a stack of papers before sitting down.

"Agent Seeley Booth" he read looking down at it.

"_Special_ Agent" Brennan interrupted him coldly.

Steven brought his head up slowly "Interrupt me again and I'll make sure you're there to get his flag at his funeral"

They glared at each other before he continued reading.

"Special Agent Seeley Booth, served as a sniper in the army, works alongside the stunningly beautiful Dr. Temperance Brennan... And would you look at all these cases, you two must work together a lot"

Again she didn't respond, and Steven leant forward in his chair, his face turning into a look of disgust.

"And I bet you got together after a good case. Some food, a glass of wine, and you let him fuck you to take away the stress. I bet you gave it up to him real quick against the wall didn't you? He means nothing more to you than someone..."

"You're wrong" she interrupted

"I've already warned you" Steven said standing up and kicking her chair over.

With nothing to break her fall, she hit the floor hard, and there was a loud pop from her left shoulder as it dislocated.

Brennan screamed out as pain shot through her arm.

"You know what the difference is between you and those girls upstairs, what makes you my favorite? It's that you always fight. Those girls upstairs have given into everything I tell them to do, but not you. You always have to be difficult"

Sighing he leaned her chair back up as she winced in pain.

"You and I are going to make another deal, but this time you're staying with me, and maybe your boyfriend will live. No more digging up dead bodies, no more solving cases, no more writing, and no more Booth. Just you and me, and so help me if you try and run I will make sure none of that team of yours works on another case"

A single tear fell from her cheek. This was her only option. Her team had no evidence, Booth was probably still around here and out in the open, and even if he had called the FBI, she knew Steven would be alerted and would take her before they reached her.

"Fine" She choked out, staring at the ground.

Steven got out his cell phone and called one of the guards.

"Brian go to my office and get out my book for me"

Brennan's head shot up. The book, Steven's book, was with Angela. It was her last way of them all getting out of here. It was her last hope.

* * *

Once they were inside, Lindsay led Angela to the waitress' locker room where she had made plans with Tempe only hours before.

Lindsay looked over Angela up and down before pulling things out of her locker.

"If we're going to look for Booth, you're going to have to wear these or they'll throw us both out"

Angela looked at the clothes now piled on one of the benches. It made her think of Brennan, how she would've had to put these on night after night and work in this awful place.

Lindsay noticed how quiet she was and smiled sympathetically. "It's the standard issue uniform; black shirt, black skirt, and red high heels"

Angela nodded and begin to change as Lindsay talked her through how they would look for Booth.

"I'm assuming it took him a while to get in so he's probably still on the main floor. The men out there can get extremely personal so watch out. If they do reach you, try not to make a scene or you'll stick out to the guards and blow your cover. We're taught to accept being grabbed or touched, to be only objects to them"

"So I'm just supposed to let them do whatever they want to me?"

"Well obviously not, we're trying to find Booth here. Just say you have a meeting with Steven and they should back off. If they don't then I'll step in for you and you'll have to try and find Booth on your own. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that"

Angela was somewhere between shocked and pissed. She couldn't imagine Brennan, model in herself for woman independence, working somewhere where she was viewed as an object.

"Okay let's go" Angela said, a little more determinately. She would do this for Brennan, in fact it was probably the least she could do.

* * *

Booth was too anxious to wait for the team of FBI agents he made Angela call. He wanted to find her and bring her home as soon as he could.

There were a lot more people in there than Booth would've liked. The whole club seemed to be in darkness, except for the dim multi colored lights flashing around.

For some reason the dance floor, bar and the tables in the back seemed to be relatively filled even though they were supposedly all locked in here.

A few people watched him carefully to see what he was doing here, but most ignored him. Booth could tell that the majority weren't going to be exactly pleased to see a team of FBI running in minutes from now, the way they seemed to be secretively making deals with each other.

Booth made his way to the office upstairs; the guard at the bottom of the stairs seemed to have stepped away from his post.

"Bones you in there?"

He looked around to see if anyone was watching before kicking his way in.

He was met with an empty office, with all kinds of papers thrown about. Booth went to leave when he saw something sitting on the floor. Picking it up, his panic level rose instantly.

He recognized the object as Bones' black jacket. Picking it up, one of the sleeves had blood on it, though whether it was from Bones or her attacker he didn't know. He had a strong feeling she was in more trouble than he had originally imagined, and he needed to find her soon.

Coming back down the stairs, he tried to think of what to do next, when he saw Angela and Lindsay coming towards him.

Once they got closer to him through the crowd, Booth realized what Angela was wearing.

"Ange... what the...?"

"I know, but we needed to find you before it was too late"

"They're not in his office I already checked"

"Yeah we know. Booth Brennan's in trouble. Steven's going to kill her if we don't find her"

Booth took a step back as if he'd been punched.

"How do you know?"

"I don't have time to explain it right now, but if we're going to save her we need to go" Lindsay explained.

"Okay" Booth said suddenly seeming lost in thought.

They followed Lindsay to the staircase that led to the warehouse.

Once they reached the bottom there were three guards in front of the door.

"Damnit!" Booth swore under his breath, seeing that it would be hard getting past them, and would probably alert Steven who might snap and kill her. If anything Booth needed a way to get in there undetected to surprise Steven.

"Is there another way we can get in there?" Booth whispered to Lindsay.

She bit her lip "there is but I'm not sure where, I've just heard Tempe mention it existed once after the last time..."

"What do you mean the last time?"

"That's not important right now" Angela interrupted as they quietly headed back upstairs. "Think Lindsay, she must've said something about where it was"

"I... she told me she managed to get out through some door that led back into the club, but I've never seen it.

Suddenly Angela had an idea. She reached into her pocketbook for her small sketch book and pen, and also found a small black book that didn't belong to her.

"What's this?"

"Oh my god" Lindsay said staring at the thing in Angela's hands. "She actually did it"

"What is this?" Angela asked again turning it over.

"Put that away quickly before someone sees it!" Lindsay said.

Angela put it back into her purse.

"We seriously need to find Tempe, I don't even know how she managed to get that but we have to get her and get out of here"

Booth was concerned by everything Lindsay was saying but didn't have the time to ask questions. Instead he watched as Angela quickly drew a map of the place.

"Ok so the warehouse is in the back and only accessible by stairs on the main floor which means it's slightly lower than the main floor. Does this place have a basement?"

"No"

"Okay so that means that there must be another set of stairs behind one of these doors"

They looked down the row of doors, two bathrooms, the waitress's locker room, an office and lounge for the guards, and the stairs they just came out of.

"Since the stairs are so close to the guard's lounge and office, I'd say it's unlikely that it's in there. Is there any door in the locker room besides the one to get outside? Because if I had to guess, Brennan wouldn't of gotten away if she had walked out onto the main floor, so the only way would be from the locker room to outside"

"Since when do you guess?" Booth asked looking between all the doors.

"Hey it's the rest of them that don't jump to conclusions without getting the facts. I however take intuitive leaps, and this is one of them"

They followed Lindsay into the locker room and instantly Booth spotted what they were looking for.

"Maintenance room" he said trying the handle. Finding it locked, Booth took out his gun ready for whatever was on the other side before kicking it open.

It led to a small stair case with another door at the bottom.

"You two go wait outside for FBI to come and show them this way, they should be almost here by now"

"Booth you can't go in there alone" Angela said.

"What other choice do we have Ange? We're running out of time again, only this time I already know where she is. I can't just give up on her. I can't"

Angela nodded and bit her lip. In a few minutes both Brennan and Booth could be dead without ever getting their happy ending she wanted so badly for the both of them. They deserved it after all this, they deserved each other.

Lindsay pulled on Angela's arm and they began to leave the room.

"Be careful Booth and make sure to bring her home in one piece, that way I can kill her for this" she said smiling sadly.

"I will"

With that he disappeared through the doors.

* * *

_Ten minutes earlier..._

"Steven, your book isn't in here, it's not on the desk"

"What do you mean it's not on the desk!"

"It's not here we've looked everywhere"

"Damnit Brian no one was supposed to be in my office!"

"They weren't I've been guarding it all night, only you Temperance and those two others have been in there besides those two girls you called in, but they don't have it we've already checked"

Steven hung up the phone and returned back to Brennan, picking up his chair and smashing it into the wall behind her.

"Give it to me!"

"Give what to you?" Brennan asked knowing exactly what he was talking about and where it was.

"You fucking know what! My book that you took out of my office"

"Is that the book you hit me with when you killed Mandy? The one you made me sign thinking you were going to help me, when really you murdered a whole family?!"

Steven quickly untied her from the chair. "Yes that's the one, and you were the only one in my office today that knew how important it was"

Brennan held her left arm in her hand, rubbing it softly.

"I don't have it?"

"Oh no?" Steven asked "How's your arm feeling?"

He took her arm and pulled her from the chair, smashing her wrist into the cement.

She screamed as she felt the small bones in her wrist break upon impact.

Hearing her scream slightly to his left Booth maneuvered cautiously, his gun out in front of him.

The warehouse was full of boxes and crates that made it almost a maze to get through. Booth went as fast as he could, his heart beating in his ears.

"Temperance tell me where it is or I will kill you. You gave it to Lindsay didn't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about"

Steven hit her in the jaw, splitting her lip.

**She could taste the blood on her lip. Her blood. She raised a shaking hand to wipe it, before she was struck again.**

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You don't have it on you, so you must have given it to Lindsay, where is she!"

**Her cold eyes glanced up at him, the man who had taken so much already. There was a time when she admired him, when she wanted to be loved by him. That was gone.**

"She's probably at the police station telling them everything. Are you going to have her killed too?"

"Hmm maybe she's going to the FBI to have your little fucking boyfriend come and arrest me"

Steven took her wrist and twisted it.

Booth cringed as he heard his partner scream again. He was getting closer to her.

**Slowly she got to her feet, leaning heavily on the wall. Her ankle was sprained, her shoulder dislocated, and she was pretty sure he wrist was broken after Steven had slammed it into the concrete floor.**

"He is coming"

**It was only a few seconds before Steven pushed her against the wall forcefully, holding her chin in one hand and wielding a knife in front of her. **

"To do what save you? Do you think he'll still love you after this? Do you think he'd still look at you the same knowing the crimes you've committed? Sooner or later he's going to walk out like everyone else in your life."

Brennan didn't say anything, for long enough for Steven to know he had guessed perfectly her worst fears.

"Your book is with the FBI; I gave it to Angela before she left. I only came back to give them time to call the FBI. They're on their way here so you mind as well give it up Steven, because you're going to be locked up for the rest of your life"

Steven grabbed her neck, choking her as she tried to free herself beneath him. It was pointless with only one good hand and a sprained ankle.

"You think that you're going to get out of here? You think that Booth is going to save you in time? I love you Tempe, but I can't let you leave. If I'm going to spend the rest of my life in jail, I can't have you running off with another man. By the time they come in here to arrest me you'll be as cold as the bodies in your lab"

He let go of her, letting her collapse against the wall.

**She panted and coughed, trying to get oxygen back into her lungs. Her legs were shaking, struggling under her to keep her standing upright. **

"**Why don't you just kill me then" Brennan spit at him. She knew he wouldn't. She was right.**

Instead he stabbed her in the stomach, not nearly deep enough to do any damage.

Booth heard her scream once more and started running. _"Hold on Bones, please just hold on"_

"Don't you worry about that, it doesn't look like Booth's coming to save you anytime soon now does it? Maybe I was right after all, maybe he realized that you weren't worth it. I suppose he'll miss his partner, but there will be other woman for him to date. He'll forget all about you, and never look back"

"You're wrong... he'll find me, he always finds me" Tears began to fall from her yes.

"Then where is he?"

"Right here" Booth yelled turning the corner with his gun aimed at Steven.

Steven had a gun raised to Brennan's head when he turned to see Booth.

Booth was pissed after hearing everything Steven had told her, because he knew it would never be true. Losing her would kill him, he would never be able to move on or find someone else.

It broke his heart to see the tears on her face, to not hear her protest everything Steven had told her. Booth realized for the first time how much power he had on her, that out of everything he said her only retort was that he would find her.

Glancing over at her, he looked to see if she was okay. Her lip was bleeding, she had various bruises, and she seemed to be holding her left arm in her right, but what worried Booth most was that she barely seemed to be standing on her own.

They locked eyes with each other from across the room and Booth could see every emotion running through her, tiredness, worry, relief, sadness, everything.

Subconsciously, Booth took a step towards her wanting only to gather her in his arms.

"One more step Agent Booth and I'd be forced to kill her. I'd hate to do it though, as I'm sure you know she's a prize in bed. The way her soft breasts glide over..."

"That's enough!" Booth yelled angrily cutting him off. His jaw clenched twice before he was able to speak. "Now let her go"

"A little touchy aren't we? Is it because she cheated on you with another man? Honestly it doesn't surprise me. If you knew half of what she's done you'd leave her wouldn't you?"

"Shut the hell up or I will put a bullet in your head"

"Booth" her voice sounded weak, making alarms go off in Booth's head "don't... he'll be... getting off... easy"

"Bones are you okay?" Booth asked side stepping closer towards her. _"Please be okay"_ thought Booth _"I need you to be okay"_

Booth's gun shook as he tried hard not to shoot the man right there, while moving closer to her.

Stephen laughed seeing his guards closing in on them and stepped away from Brennan as Booth stepped closer.

"Well now seems I will be getting off easy then. Looks like Booth here didn't bring backup, very heroic I must admit, but very stupid"

Booth turned and stood in front of Brennan protectively. There was about twenty guards and two of them, and she didn't look like she'd be able to hold a gun.

"Temperance has five seconds to tell me where Lindsay and my book are or you will both die Booth"

Booth looked at her and noticed for the first time, the crimson color of blood on her shirt. She was hurt, and it was time to get her out of here.

Booth seized up the guards, debating how many of them he could take out, when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

"One" Steven counted knowing she would tell him eventually.

"Booth.." she pleaded needing him to tell her what to do.

"Two"

Booth moved closer to where she was, finally seeing the signal he needed from behind the guards.

"Three"

Bones couldn't let it go any longer; there was no way she could let her partner die because of her. "She's at the Jeffersonian!"

At the same time Booth dove, pulling Bones down underneath him, and covering her body as a reign of bullets ripped through the air either killing or taking down all of the guards around them.

Steven was shot in the leg, and tried to shoot Booth but an Agent quickly came over and kicked the gun out of his hands.

Booth carefully helped Bones to sit against the wall while he looked at her injuries. He quickly called for a medic when she looked like she was starting to lose consciousness.

"Bones? Come on stay with me, that's it, that's my girl"

Seeing her bright blue eyes, he pulled her into him, holding her tightly. He sighed into her hair, taking a deep breath.

He had her in his arms, she was going to be okay, and it was finally over.

Around them, Steven and the guards were being put in handcuffs and led away.

"I got ya, I'm here" Booth whispered to her

He felt something wet on his shoulder and realized she was crying.

"Shhhh Bones it's okay, you're going to be okay the paramedics are on their way. Shhh"

"Don't ever leave Booth please" Her voice sounded desperate even though it was muffled by his coat. She was pleading with him not to walk out on her and it brought tears to his eyes.

"I promise"

"_**How long till my heart breaks  
So much that I can take  
One more day, one more hour  
Of waiting on something that's not gonna happen  
How long till my tears stop  
How every salted drop  
Bruises the skin, I'm stuck in betrayal**_

_**  
Empty as I am..."**_

* * *

Sniff, makes me cry a little inside. Don't worry this isn't the end, not yet. I still have a lot more to write so hang in there. For me the aftermath is just as fun to write as this was.


	18. The Follow Up

_**This chapter turned out slightly different from what I had planned, sorry for the delay though. I still owe you guys a huge thank you for staying with this one, I know I'm not the most consistent person in the world.**_

_**This originally was the last chapter, but what the heck. How 'bout a few more eh?**_

"_**The Follow up"**_

Brennan leant her head back against the wall. Closing her eyes she took a few deep breaths, focusing only on the sound of the rushing air in and out of her lungs. Soon enough the people around her faded out until it was just her and Booth. He was still holding onto her like his life depended on it, and she let him because he had found her. He had done the one thing no one had ever bothered or cared enough to do. Two months she spent down here before and no one had even questioned where she had been. Even her own parents and brother had just left, never once looking back or bothering to find out if she was alright.

No one ever cared, not since Steven had taken her in and had promised to help her. He manipulated her into doing whatever he wanted her to do, but even knowing that she couldn't go against him.

The fact that Booth had come back for her was monumental. Sure he had saved her before, but never in the past had she hurt him so bad beforehand. Never had she gone so far to push him away. If she was being honest, she was rather curious on whether he come back, because she wasn't expecting him too.

He did, and she found that she couldn't take it. She didn't deserve it. She had begged him to stay, knowing that she wouldn't let him. She would have to take it back, or he would feel compelled to stay now when he probably hated her.

She opened her eyes ready to take it back but the words fell short as she saw his concern for her.

"Booth I can't..."

His hand stroked her cheek with such tenderness and love that it broke her heart.

His eyes panicked as he took in the beginning of what she had said.

"Can't what Bones? Oh god, are you okay? Please tell me you're okay"

His hands found where Steven had stabbed her and applied pressure. It was bleeding, but it wasn't life threatening, just enough for her to start feeling the effects of what was most likely multiple concussions.

"Somebody get me an ambulance!" Booth called out.

"I'm okay Booth, it's just..."

He turned back to her instantly, trying to read her but she was being as distant as he had ever seen her.

Booth leant forward to lean his forehead against hers whispering what he hoped she was looking for.

"I promise you Temperance, I'm not going anywhere"

Brennan felt his words constricting her throat more than Steven had earlier.

She wanted to believe that he would be the constant in her life, the thing that never changed, but her thoughts were focused on what Steven had said to her earlier.

"_**Sooner or later he's going to walk out like everyone else in your life"**_

She knew he was right. Booth would eventually become sick of her and leave like everyone else, even if he didn't know it yet. A day would come when he would get sick of their bickering, and her outlook on the world, and it would just be too much. He would leave and it would be too much.

It was better to let go of him now so that she didn't lose him later on.

Booth knew something was wrong, but he wasn't about to call her out on it now. He wanted them to sit down, with her in his arms, and talk about everything.

He needed her to know that she couldn't push him away anymore because he was so in love with her it was killing him not to be near her. Sure before this they had been a couple and had told each other how they felt, but now he needed her to know, to really know how he felt. He needed her to see that no matter how far she pushed him away he wouldn't go. He needed her to see that he would always be there for her no matter what. The truth was that he didn't want her right now; he wanted her for the rest of his life.

Before he could say anything of this to her, Angela, Cam, Hodgins, and Zach all came running over to where Brennan was sitting.

Angela instantly grabbed Brennan in a hug.

Brennan winced slightly at the sudden pressure on her dislocated shoulder, but hugged her friend back happy with her other hand, just happy she was safe.

Angela pulled back with tears running down her face.

"Oh thank god your okay Bren, I was worried sick and you locked us out and I just..."

Brennan cut her off, suddenly distracted by her friend's attire that was all too familiar. Seeing Angela in it brought a bad taste into Brennan's mouth and for a moment she thought she was going to be sick.

"Ange... what the hell are you wearing?"

"I don't know but I like it" answered Hodgins grinning as he looked Angela up and down.

Angela and Booth turned around to shoot Hodgins a dirty look.

"After Booth took off after you, me and Lindsay had to sneak back in to look for him so that we could tell him where you were. I had to put these on so we wouldn't get thrown out by those huge guys at the door"

Brennan simply nodded at Angela's explanation, not bothering to ask more than that.

Angela took in her friends injuries and hugged her again, more gently this time.

"Oh Bren, I'm so sorry"

Brennan sighed trying to imagine her life without the beautiful artist in it and couldn't. She needed Angela just like she needed Booth and Zach and Hodgins and even Cam.

As they all stared at her, the people she considered family to her, she realized that they didn't even know how close they had come to danger. It was written in their faces, the only concern they had was for her.

Finally the paramedics came and began to examine her wounds, wrapping a white bandage around her lower half.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Zach leaning from one foot to the next.

"What is it Zach?" she asked wondering what he could possibly be so anxious about.

"The color variation on your left hand Dr. Brennan would suggest a distal radius fracture, most likely due to a fall"

Brennan smiled slightly, realizing that it was Zach's way of telling her he was glad she was safe.

"Dr. Brennan are you sure you're okay?" Cam asked noticing the same thing Booth had.

"I'm fine just a little dizzy"

Cam took in Brennan's swollen lip and the beginning of some bad bruises and suddenly she put the pieces together "Do you have a concussion?"

At the same time, there was a commotion on the other side of the room caused by Steven and two FBI agents.

Steven was struggling to break free and losing. When they were bringing him by the small group, his eyes locked on Brennan's.

For a moment they stayed that way, something unknown seemingly understood between them.

Booth resisted kicking his ass right then and there until he was as badly beaten up as Bones was. He didn't think he hated anyone more at that point. Subconsciously, Booth's hand found Brennan's and he intertwined his fingers with hers, rubbing the top of her hand softly as he too glared at Steven daring him to even take a step closer to them.

Then the moment was gone and Steven instead was looking over Angela appreciatively.

"Seems I was right huh Tempe, she would've fit in fine here"

Before anyone else could react Brennan pushed up against the wall trying to stand up.

"You son of bitch!" she seethed trying to get around Booth. As much as he wanted to let her go, he was more concerned with getting her injuries taken care of.

"Don't worry sweetheart, I'll be out soon. I can't wait to meet all these nice people personally. Of course you'll have to introduce me" he said smirking at her. "Especially you Agent Booth, I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon"

Finally they took him away, and Booth was left holding a shaking Brennan. She clutched his shirt in her hand desperately to keep herself standing.

The rest watched in shock as he was taken away.

"Bones don't worry I..."

Her grip on her shirt let go as she fell backwards. Booth caught her in time before she hit the ground.

* * *

"I'm fine Booth I just want to go home"

Booth looked skeptically at the Doctor who smiled slightly.

"She has a mild concussion that will be needed to be watched over night. As for her other injuries, her shoulder has been re-adjusted and her ankle is in a brace but it should heal in a couple weeks. The stabbing didn't seem to hit anything major so we've stitched her up. It's mainly the concussion we're hesitant about and her wrist which seems to have been severely fractured"

Brennan nodded to everything he said agreeing with him. Angela and Cam suppressed a laugh at how eager she was to get out of there.

Booth wasn't leaving though until he was absolutely sure that she was going to be okay. She had almost given him a heart attack when she had fainted before, turning him into a nervous wreck.

"What do you mean you're hesitant about the concussion?"

Brennan groaned softly shaking her head, causing Booth to shoot her a look, and Angela to think that fifty years from now they were going to be the cutest old couple ever.

"Well from what we can tell, Dr. Brennan has sustained numerous concussions over the past years, meaning that it is possible for swelling or even brain damage to occur"

"Brain damage?" Booth managed to choke out. The thought of her brilliant brain with any damage made him sick.

"It's not likely, but possible. For now though I think that it'd be best for her to go home and rest with someone keeping an eye on her" The doctor looked around the group as if he didn't already know who would be staying up with her tonight.

Booth nodded in defeat, but was surprised when Brennan didn't say anything. Normally he would expect her to chide him for not taking her advice on a medical matter that was very clearly her area of expertise, but it never came.

"Alright Booth I think you better get her home and rest after the week you've both had" Cam said nudging him from his thoughts.

Without warning Brennan hoped off the bed, wobbling as she tried to steady herself.

Booth caught her again, glaring intensely at her. "Bones take it easy will you" he said warningly. He was resisting the urge to full out start yelling at her for doing one of the most stupidest things she's done since they began their partnership, only because she had a server concussion.

Brennan rolled her eyes but let him help her into the mandatory wheel chair without a word.

Shaking his head Booth rolled her out of the room and into the hallway with the rest following behind.

As soon as they were out of earshot Cam grabbed Angela's arm pulling her back into the now empty hospital room.

"I think there's something wrong with Dr. Brennan"

Angela looked at her ridiculously "Well yeah being pretty much tortured in the basement of some crazy murderous ex whatever's strip club all because she was trying to keep us away, has that effect"

Cam didn't know exactly what she saw in Brennan that made her feel so... uneasy was probably the best word, but there was something.

"No I think there's something else; she didn't even fight with Booth when he put her in that wheel chair"

"She's tired, she wants to go home; I don't blame her for just going along with it"

Angela was starting to get irritated; it was over, there was no reason for Cam to keep insisting that Brennan was hiding something.

"I know it's just... she seems off or something"

"She's been off since the grave digger case, this didn't help"

Without another word Angela left the room, with Cam following her silently.

* * *

When Angela and Cam finally made their way outside, they were met with a standoff between Booth and Cullen, with Booth right in Cullen's face threateningly.

"What the hell?" Angela said coming to stand beside Brennan who looked worried due to her partner's proximity to his boss.

"Agent Booth back down, or I'll take you into custody as well"

Booth was shaking with anger. He had had far past his limit of restraint for one night.

"No you are not taking her anywhere!"

"Booth please stop, he's doing his job!"

Brennan knew she was guilty in the Mason's deaths, and felt that it was only right that she went to prison.

"I don't care what he's doing Bones, I'm not letting you go to jail for something you didn't do!"

"But Booth I..."

Before she could finish Hodgins grabbed her and placed a hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened in shock before she realized who it was and mumbled something incoherently at him while trying to twist out of Jack's arms which were surprisingly strong to her dismay.

"Hodgins whatever you do, do not let her say anything" Booth said over his shoulder. "Sir, until you have evidence that my partner committed any crime she stays with me"

"That's not how this works, you know that Booth, and if you won't cooperate than I'm going to have Agent Collins place you under arrest as well"

The younger Agent stepped out from behind them and walked up to Booth, glancing twice over at Brennan. Booth turned to look at the younger man with something close to amusement.

However blind rage would probably be a better way to describe the way Booth now felt looking at the man who had almost slept with his partner. To Booth, it was one of the worst crimes he had ever seen. She was vulnerable and he took advantage of the situation.

"You're not arresting me"

"Yes, Agent Booth I am"

Both of their hands twitched towards their concealed weapons and at the same time Brennan finally broke free of Hodgin's hold.

Without another word she knowingly grabbed the handcuffs out of Booth's pocket and handed them to Cullen.

"I'd prefer that you put me under arrest before someone else dies because of me if you don't mind" she said holding her one good hand out to Cullen.

Booth was too absorbed with the images flying threw his mind of His Bones and the pathetic excuse of an agent in front of him that he didn't notice Brennan had freed herself from Hodgins or grabbed his handcuffs, until he heard the metal click of the lock.

"Bones what the hell did you do?"

Cullen began moving her back towards his own black SUV.

"You're being unreasonable Booth, I committed a crime and now I have to accept the consequences. It's what we work to do every day, bring in criminals... murderers; you of all people should understand this"

Booth tried to understand why she wasn't putting up a fight, as he walked next to her to the SUV, but really couldn't.

"Bones trust me you are not a murderer okay? So just stop with that because you're anything but like the people we put away. And for god's sake do not say anything else until Carolyn sees you, she's already going to have a field day yelling at you already"

Bones was brought to a stop next to the SUV as Cullen opened the back door. Booth caught up to them and stood in front of her.

"Please just don't say anything until we figure this out" Booth said brushing a strand of hair from her face.

"Fine I promise I won't say anything until Carolyn comes, but I'm not going to lie to them"

"Alright" Booth said already trying to think of a plan to get her out of this.

"But if I'm not saying anything, than you have to promise me you'll let them take me into custody and not put up a fight with... the other Agent when I leave"

He was surprised at how she seemed to have perfectly guessed his exact intentions once she left.

"I promise" he said conceding as long as it kept her quiet.

Without another word Cullen helped her into the car carefully minding her injuries.

And then she was gone from Booth once again, out of his reach where he couldn't hold her and tell her it was all going to be okay.

Hearing some kind of scuffle, he turned around to see Angela being led unwillingly in handcuffs to Agent Collin's car.

"What do you think you're doing?" Booth said coming to stand if front of the both of them. Hodgins was trailing behind shaking his head as he went.

"She assaulted a Federal Agent"

Collins spoke through gritted teeth, clearly in pain at whatever injury Angela had given to him.

Booth let him pass looking at Hodgins for an explanation and receiving only a shrug.

"Angela what did you do?" Booth asked but got no reply as she kicked and squirmed trying to resist being arrested.

They watched Agent Collins put her in the back of his car with some difficulty, with neither Booth nor Hodgins offering to help, and head off in the same direction Brennan had just gone moments before. Just before they left, Booth was sure he caught a glimpse of a small smirk of satisfaction on her face.

"She dropped kicked him below the cocky belt buckle if you know what I mean" Hodgins said smirking

"She did what?" Booth thought he had misheard until Hodgins repeated it again through some laughter.

"Why would she do that?"

"I don't know but it looked like it hurt, he was on the ground for a while there before finally getting up. She tried it again as he was putting the cuffs on her"

"Well obviously she did it so she could stay with the good doctor" said cam finally coming up beside them with a shocked Zach just behind.

And in fact that was her main intention when Angela had kicked him without warning; the other reason was for taking advantage of her friend when she was in an agitated state and possibly ruining her relationship with Booth.

Maybe she should've taken those self defense classes with Brennan more often as it seemed to really be doing some good lately.

Once they were in front of the FBI building, Collins parked the car and got Angela out of the backseat careful not to keep him too exposed in front of her.

He led her inside and into the holding cell that Cullen had just put Brennan into. Cullen looked at them strangely before letting them in not exactly wanting to know why.

"Angela what are you doing here?" Brennan asked looking up at her as she walked in.

"You're kidding right? After the day we've had I'm not letting you out of my sight if Booth isn't with you" Angela said sitting down next to Brennan on the small bed.

Brennan sighed in annoyance, wondering when everyone would just leave her alone.

"I don't need a babysitter; I do quite well on my own"

"You're right, you don't need a babysitter, but I was thinking that maybe you needed a friend to sit with you tonight and make sure you don't slip into a coma or something. And you don't have to be on your own anymore Bren, you've got Booth and Cam and Hodgins and Zach and especially Me to help when stuff like this happens"

Brennan smiled slightly leaning her head on Angela's shoulder. "Thanks Ange, for everything"

"I believe I should be the one thanking you, but we're going to have _**that**_ conversation later, don't you worry" Angela said patting her hand.

"Do I even want to know what you did to get in here?"

Brennan figured she did something outrageous like attack Agent Collins or something.

Angela smirked

"Well that depends"

Brennan looked up slowly staring at Angela like she was trying to read the bones of one of her victims to find out their life story.

"On what exactly?"

"How long do they keep you in here for attacking a Federal Agent?"

Brennan became confused. Why would Angela need to know something like that?

"It depends on the offense of the... Oh"

Angela laughed at her friend's cluelessness. "Well then I think we may be cell mates for a while then huh?"

Brennan nodded leaning her head back down. With everything that had gone wrong this week, in the end her plan had worked. Now she just had to suffer the consequences.

"It was worth it" she said softly to herself, "It was worth it"

**Yeah I know, it was a boring chapter and I'm sorry but I'm setting up for the next part. Anyways I uh happened to lose the next chapter, literally lost it. I'll try and get it up early next week though, because it has to be on this computer somewhere... Right?**


	19. In a heartbeat

Two things I discovered recently, one is that I really suck at time management. The second is that I've been thinking about this chapter _**a lot**_ and I've decided just to do it the way I want to; aka lots of flashbacks and drama and rain.

Italicized = Flashbacks in case you haven't got that yet. These particular flashbacks come from where we last left off.

"In a Heartbeat"

Her fingers gripped the tight black leather beneath her, scrapping her finger nail against it as she struggled to hold onto something. She needed something to hold her down, keep her sane. The clock's rhythmic ticking only intensified the silence between them.

_Booth let out a long sigh, breaking the silence that had filled the car since they had left the police station. He looked over at her again and noticed grimly that she hadn't moved at all. _

_All Booth wanted was for this nightmare to end, and now with the bastard finally behind bars Booth thought that he'd finally have her back. _

_Because that's how Brennan was, she could be thrown down and even kicked down again but she sure as hell got back up. After even the most stressful case, Brenan could always pull herself back together like it hadn't affected her one bit. _

_The woman who sat beside him was nervous and scared still, as if she were the same teenager she was when she first met McCoy._

_Dr. Temperance Brennan was nowhere to be found, Booth's partner was nowhere to found, and he was starting to wonder if she would ever be back. _

"Dr. Brennan this is our ninth session" The words were eerie in the once silent room.

Though the sudden noise had startled her, she gave no indication of it as she stared at Sweets blankly "Yes I am aware of that"

"And in the past eight sessions you have refused to say anything"

She could've laughed out loud at this. For the past eight sessions she had heard Sweets' analysis of everything from why she withheld her past from everyone in the first place, to why she had practically thrown herself in jail. What more was there to explain? "That's quite unfair to say considering that I have answered a great deal of your questions"

Sweets sighed and threw his notebook to the side. It was looking like this session would be no different.

"Yes you did, but you answered most of my questions by saying you'd rather not talk about it"

"What do you want me to say?" She asked coldly.

"Nothing, I don't want you to say anything" Sweets said leaning back

"I don't understand you just said..."

"I know what I just said. I don't want you to say anything. Because whatever you say will be coming from behind a wall. I want you to let down that wall and feel something. Get angry and throw something or get sad and breakdown, just feel something"

Brennan stared at him with a defiant glare etched on her face. This was why she hated psychology. Every one of them wanted you to talk about your feelings so that you could really feel them. Put it out there so you can understand it and deal with it and move on.

The problem was that she felt it every day, the inescapable drowning feeling that nagged at her continuously.

Sweets had lost once again in this game they were playing.

Slowly she leaned back against the couch, letting go of the fine leather to fold her hands on her lap as silence once again filled the room.

"_Bones" he whispered, just loud enough to be heard over the hum of the engine._

"_Temperance please just say something, anything" hearing her voice would be enough. Hearing her voice would be a start on the road back to where they had come from._

"_Don't call me that" she responded softly._

_For a moment Booth was confused, she hadn't asked him not to call her Bones since the first few months of their partnership._

"_I can't call you Bones?"_

"_No that's not..." she paused staring down where her hands were clenched in her lap."People only call me Temperance when they want something and right now Booth I have nothing to give you"_

_Her admission was so sudden and honest that Booth never saw it coming. He never expected her to be this open with him._

"_The only thing I want from you Bones is you"_

_She let out a small chuckle "I'm not even sure I can give you that"_

Brennan visibly jumped as Sweet's voice interrupted her thoughts. She silently scolded herself before replying.

"Dr. Brennan you need to start talking to me if you want me to clear you for work again"

And that was true. After Cullen had suspended her from field work until she had had a mental evaluation, Cam had also suspended her for working thirty-six hours straight.

Sweets hated resorting to blackmail with her but he was beginning to see that there might not be another way besides a complete breakdown.

"Okay... I'm talking see? I'm here and I'm talking"

"That's something Booth would say Dr. Brennan"

Instantly Sweets knew it was a mistake mentioning Booth's name. Brennan crossed her arms in front of her defiantly and stared back out the small office window. The session was as good as over.

_Booth and Brennan sat next to each other on his couch only inches away from each other, just as they had so many times before in the past. She could feel his discomfort in the air, though it was impossible. _

_She knew he would ask questions, she knew him well enough that she expected him to ask whatever it is he didn't already know, but silently she was begging him not to._

_Dr. Temperance Brennan told her to tell him everything before he could ask and get it over with. He, after all, was her partner and the lead agent on the case so rationally she should give him whatever information he needed to put that bastard behind bars. _

_However nothing about this whole situation was rational or at least that was what Temperance Brennan the broken and scared woman was telling her. From the moment she had taken the pin off of Michelle Alexander's cold body, till now she had only thought with her heart as Booth had told her to do so often and it almost killed them all. _

_Every time she opened up her heart and let her guard down people left or worse, died. No one could possibly love her, even Booth who had told her hundreds of times that he did. _

_It was about time that she became Dr. Temperance Brennan again. The fearless forensic anthropologist who visited grave sites with guns pointed at the back of her head and didn't do anything that wasn't completely rational. _

_Turning she was startled to find that Booth had been quietly watching her gather her thoughts. She could tell that he was trying to determine whether or not she was going to fight him or just give up. She sucked in air, feeling it travel painfully down her throat into her lungs before standing slowly in front of him._

"_Booth I..." _

_Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of the picture of them both together, the one that was slightly different from the one in her apartment. It stopped whatever else she was going to say. Suddenly she wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to be the same rational person anymore. _

_She finally glanced at him fully and realized how tired he looked. His normally shaven face was covered in tiny hairs in what would be a five o'clock shadow only it was well past five. His shoulders were slouched almost as if they were being weighed down by heavy books. And as he met her eyes she couldn't help but feel like he was pleading with her not to say the words he could already feel coming. _

_All of a sudden he stood up from the couch so fast that Brennan subconsciously took a step back. He moved closer to fill the space and grabbed her waist. _

_She gasped at the sudden contact that she had been denying herself these last few weeks. His hands on her instantly sent sparks up and down her. She couldn't help but lay her own hand, the one without the cast, on his chest. Though whether it was to push him away or pull him closer she didn't know. _

_Slowly he leaned in to kiss her, never taking his eyes off of hers. He waited to see if she would pull away and when she didn't he finally pressed his lips against hers passionately. To his surprise, she responded to the kiss with just as much intensity, but it was short lived. _

_After a few seconds she pulled away, tears already running down her cheek. _

Booth and most of the squints were already on a new case. They probably all would've skipped it, but they had been asked by one of the benefactors of the Jeffersonian to take it. His daughter had been kidnapped and he wanted only the best to find her.

Booth was supposed to be going undercover on this case soon, a fact that left him upset and slightly irritated.

In fact they all felt that way. Their hearts just weren't in it. They were still recovering from what had happened in the warehouse and with Dr. Brennan.

Now they were all waiting for Sweet's call in the lounge. Today they hoped, would be the day Dr. Brennan would come back to work so things could finally go back to normal.

"_Booth I'm sorry, this is a mistake"_

_He still held her tightly, afraid that if he let go she would run straight out the door. _

"_What do you mean?"_

_Her eyes looked from the wall to the floor, anywhere but him. _

"_I can't do this, I can't..." she stopped but the words 'lose you' echoed through her mind._

"_Do what Bones?" he challenged angrily. _

"_I can't... be with you" the words surprised her as much as they did him. _

"_I'm sorry Booth but I just can't do it"_

_His voice shook as he responded through clenched teeth "why not?"_

_She finally looked at him fearfully. "I just can't, I'm sorry"_

_Booth wasn't backing down though not without a real answer from her. _

"_I'm not going anywhere until you tell me why"_

"_Booth..."_

_Suddenly he let go of her, the absence of his hands leaving her cold and vulnerable. _

"_No Bones, I'm not going to let you do this. I'm not going to let you run from this without a fight. Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?"_

_It was such an easy question that her answer came out immediately "No of course not"_

"_Have I ever walked away from you, have I ever given up on you?" _

_Brennan swallowed, tears threatening to fall "have you?"_

_For a moment he forgot about his anger seeing the desperate look on her face. She was so lost, he could see it in her eyes. _

"_No Bones I have not, and I never will, no matter how hard you try and push me away"_

_Booth watched as she ducked her head trying to hide just how much those words affected her, but Booth could see it anyway._

"_I told you I loved you, knowing that you had the power to break me if you wanted to, because right now Bones you have my whole heart. And I'm giving you the choice of keeping it or breaking it. The ball's in your court now"_

_She didn't say anything, she just looked up at him sadly, and he knew what was about to happen._

"_I'm sorry Booth" she said. A single tear fell from her bright blue eye and made its way down her cheek. "I'm sorry that I put you through all this. I'm sorry I put your life in danger. I'm sorry I kissed you"_

"_No you're not"_

"_Yes I am, because it wasn't rational. You are my __**partner**__. I can't... and love isn't rational. Loving you isn't rational. It's crazy, and I can't do this"_

_He could see her backing slowly towards the door._

"_Bones please just stop. I know you're afraid, I know okay, but you can't keep running"_

"_You said this was my choice, you said that 'the ball was in my court' so I'm letting you go. You deserve someone better, someone who can let go enough to love you like you love them. I'm not ready for that. I don't think I ever will be, no matter how much I trust you"_

"_I want __**you**__ Bones, I love __**you**__ and I know you love me too" _

_Her hand was now on the door knob, it was now or never. _

"_You can't love me Booth; you don't even know me... I don't even know me, not anymore" _

_Their gazes locked. _

"_You say that I don't know you, but I do. I may not know everything you went through when you were younger, but I know that you don't want to do this, I can see it in your eyes. Bones if you stay we can fix this, we can work through this. All you have to do is let me in. All you have to do is let me love you"_

_Booth was breathing heavily. In all their years of partnership he had never been as scared as he was now. What would happen if she left now? Would he ever see her again? Could he truly live without her? Because right now she had that look in her eye, the one that told him she was going to do something completely irrational like jumping a plane to some foreign country. _

"_Bones if you walk out that door..." He stopped, holding her still with one arm behind her back, the other cupping her face._

_She stared back just as frightened at him, wondering what he would do. _

"_If you walk out now, after everything we've been through, I'm not going to run after you. If this is what you really want, then go, but know that I'm not going to be here when you get back because... I don't think I can take you running from me for one more minute"_

_His words came as a shock to her. They were words she never thought she would hear him say in a million lifetimes. _

_Booth began again noticing the way she looked at him panicked. _

"_I'm in love with you Bones, can't you see that? I'm not leaving so why are you?"_

_She pulled away from him desperate for air. She started making her way to his front door._

"_I'm sorry" she whispered before opening the door and taking the step that would keep her from him. She lost him in that moment; in a single heartbeat she lost him. _

_There was no going back now, he said so himself. Brennan's next few steps were hesitant, hoping that he would change his mind and call her name. If he had just called for her she would've went running back to him, but he didn't. _

"_Goodbye Booth" she said under her breath before taking off into a run, or as much of a run as she could with a sprained ankle. She made her way down the stairs and outside onto the street. She kept moving through the streets without a thought to where she was going to go. _

_Her ankle throbbed ever more painfully with each step, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her chest. She hadn't even realized it was raining, the drops mixing with the tears falling from her face. _

Two weeks ago she had come back and gone straight to limbo, were she had stayed for a day and a half without eating or sleeping. Angela had gone in to try and talked to her and they had gotten into a huge fight. Cam had had to suspend her just to get her out of there so she would sleep and eat.

Booth hadn't spoken much since then. He looked like he'd barely been sleeping or eating as well.

_The second that she had left, he had stood there just staring at the door. It was all he could do from running after her. _

_After a while he had sat down on the couch that they had just been sitting on only moments before, and put his head in his hands. _

_He struggled to keep his tears in check. She was gone and there was nothing he could do now but follow her, and he didn't have the strength or the will to do it this time. _

The stress on the team was what was taking them so long to move on this case and if they didn't pick it up soon there would be a dead girl on their hands and a very angry big wig to deal with.

The phone rang and they looked at each other, wondering who would pick it up. Cam finally did.

"Please tell me you cleared the good doctor"

Her hopeful look faded into one of defeat.

"You didn't"

Her head ducked in frustration.

"Okay I'll tell them"

She hung up the phone and shook her head no. "Sweets said that she's still not ready. We'll just have to keep working and hopefully she'll be back soon"

Booth stood up instantly and walked off. He had been camping out in Brennan's office for the last few weeks, using it as an excuse not to go home. He argued he had work to do that he could do there, but Cam knew the real reason behind it. He missed Dr. Brennan; everyone could see it on his face that his heart had broken.

Cam thought about having Cullen suspend Booth too but they were already short two people since Angela had refused to come in and work until Brennan came back.

At this point they couldn't afford to lose anyone else, the team worked best together as a family and when one of them was down they almost couldn't function.

Cam could feel it, the team starting to break down. There seemed to be a change happening beneath them that they couldn't stop.

The center was not holding and the ends were starting to crumble.

_Brennan made it to the bottom floor of his apartment building before collapsing against the wall in the stairway. _

_The lights started to dim in the stairwell and Brennan stood up slowly, careful not to hurt her ankle. She pushed open the door into the dark night. _

_The rain had stopped and the clouds had cleared, letting the stars come out in full force. _

_A cab pulled over to where she was standing and she got in. As it started to pull away she looked out the back window, hoping that she might see him running out after her, but the farther the cab got from the apartment the more she realized he wasn't coming. _

_He wasn't coming after her. _

_She wasn't running back. _

_And in that moment, a single heart beat, it was over. The single inevitable ending she knew would come, finally had. _

**Very Important: I know a lot of people have been writing about the season finale, but just so we're clear the only part that was influenced by the finale was the last flashback. The Brennan and Sweets therapy session was something that I've wanted to do since the beginning of this story, and there's a few other things in future chapters that seem similar to the finale but they've already been written for months. **

**Review! Good or bad I'm all ears; I've been around the block a few times. **


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